Paintball Courses Vary In Style And Purpose

When paintball began as a game of survival in 1981, the first game took place on an outside course that covered 80 wooded acres in a public ski area. The original twelve participants played a game that paralleled the concept of capture the flag with quite a bit of survival skills required to complete the game successfully.

Paintball did not originate as a game intended to eliminate the opponent by rapid fire. Rather, the game was a mental challenge to survive the game the longest without having to fire or be fired upon. The weapons that were used were the NelSpot 007 pistols that held 10 rounds or less, had to be hand-cocked between shots to roll the paint capsule into the chamber and had a limited velocity and accuracy rate. Yet, it did not deter from the fun and excitement each of the original players felt that first game.

Today, more than 10 million people in the United States alone enjoy paintball in one way or another. There are many different versions of the game and many different paintball courses upon which to complete. The most obvious being indoor and outdoor paintball courses. Each course has different values and applications that are beneficial to difference variations of the game.

Indoor Paintball Courses Provide High Energy Competition

The indoor paintball course offers a very different experience from the outdoor challenges. The most obvious being the contained space by which the players must combat one another, the bunkers are very close together and each team starts out on opposite sides of the court but still relatively close to one another. Most indoor games are referred to as Speed Ball, play is aggressive, fast paced and organized. The goals focus on reaching the bunkers as quickly as possible while trying to eliminate the opposing team members. While there are many indoor fields that offer larger space, generally speaking the indoor paintball courses are intended for high speed, high-energy games that move quickly from start to finish.

Outdoor Paintball Courses Often Considered Purest Form Of Paintball Game

Outdoor games can vary a great deal in style and purpose. The scenario fields or concept paintball courses are generally run by a commercial establishment that charges each player to play. There are many different stages that can be played such as the city like streets and buildings, old cars or other city type structures to create a sense of urban dwelling and warfare.

Outdoor paintball courses, such as Speedball Fields are popular because the games are intense, controlled and refereed. These games generally have a playing fee and are operated by a commercial business as well.

Outdoor paintball courses that are set up in the woods can be on private or commercially owned property. Woodsball is often considered the purest form in the paintball courses as the original game was also played in the outdoors.