Paintball is a fun team game that involves players from different teams trying to eliminate each other by shooting them with circular dye-filled gelatin capsules. Its chaotic and war-like nature makes it an effective way to pass one’s time. Those with a group of friends, hours to kill, and paintball grounds near them can have an amazing time playing it. Here are certain details one should know about paintball:
Essential equipment needed to play paintball
Many things are needed to play paintball safely and amp up the enjoyment factor. Here are some key pieces of paintball equipment:
- Gear bag
An all-in-one gear bag helps players carry their playing kit safely from their homes to paintball grounds and vice versa. While some players may not prefer a bag, it is advisable to always carry one, as it keeps everything organized and prevents them from forgetting to pack basic gear like barrel swabs or gun stands. Players can carry their gear in a simple duffel bag, backpack, or specially-built paintball gear bag. - Mask
Although paintball is a relatively harmless game, taking all the necessary safety precautions is still advisable for players. The mask and other paintball-specific clothing and padding are needed to play the game safely. The pellets fired in a paintball game travel at high speeds, so wearing a mask prevents eye injuries while playing. Paintball masks are rated for safety, so one must purchase the ones with the highest ratings. Also, buying a mask is way better than renting one, as the mask is not guaranteed to be clean. - Ball haulers
Paintball games tend to get frenetic. Even though players carry paintballs, their hands are occupied during a game, so they need ball haulers to help them fill their hoppers. Thankfully, haulers do this job seamlessly without any spillage. Paintball haulers are massive plastic-made jugs that store and pour paintballs into paintball pods and hoppers at a rapid pace. At any given time, these haulers can store up to 1,000 paintballs. Paintball haulers are the ultimate lifesavers (and time-savers) during games. Using a quality hauler prevents players from getting frustrated due to in-game delays. - Clothing and padding
Although one can play paintball in t-shirts and jeans, buying a jersey and track pants is recommended. Jerseys are lightweight and breathable, ensuring players’ mobility throughout the game. Also, customized paintball pants have in-built padding to keep players safe from the relentlessly quick pellets fired from guns. Moreover, paintball-specific clothing and padding make it easier for players to slide on the ground (a slick pellet evasion technique) during a game. - Gun stand
As the name implies, a gun stand helps players keep their paintballs and hoppers stable and focused during a game. This stand’s gun stability is key during the game, as players must frequently aim and shoot down faraway targets.
Types of paintball game variations
Paintball can be played in a number of ways. Some of the most fun variations include the following:
- Center flag push
In this variation, a flag is placed in the center of the playing field. Two or more distinct zones are marked for the playing teams. A team needs to reach into the other team’s zone and retrieve the flag without getting hit by a paintball. This is the easiest and arguably the most enjoyable variation of paintball. - King of the hill
This is another extremely simple variation. It involves two players from rival teams competing one-on-one until they shoot down their opponent. Once that happens, the next player in line will take their eliminated teammate’s place. Once all players from a team are eliminated, the winner is called the king of the hill. - Bomb squad
In this game, a team (known as the bad guys or villains) is given bombs to hide on a given paintball field. The other team (the good guys or heroes) must find all the bombs within a set time limit. While they do so, the bad guys must try to gun them down before the bombs are found.
