| Paintball games are played by the players firing | | | | them. Once a player is hit the pre-agreed number |
| pellets filled with paint on their opponents. It is a | | | | of times, he is considered dead and must leave |
| live action war and strategy game, the usual | | | | the field. He may or may not return to the game |
| objective or winning move is to capture the flag | | | | depending on what was agreed upon. |
| of the enemy's camp. The first paintball game | | | | A referee oversees the playing and calls out the |
| was played on June 27, 1981 by a platoon of | | | | names of players who have been tagged. |
| united states marines in basic training. | | | | Because the paint balls may cause abrasions of |
| The first modern paintball games had players | | | | the skin if fired from close range, some rules |
| hurling paint balls at each other instead of shooting | | | | forbid the shooting of the paintball within a certain |
| from a gun. The first balls also contained oil-based | | | | distance from the target. Overshooting is another |
| paints that couldn't be washed off with water. So, | | | | practice that is forbidden. It refers to the |
| after a paintball game, players would follow up | | | | continued shooting of an eliminated player. This |
| with a turpentine party to wash off the paint | | | | practice is harmful and is discouraged. Another |
| from their bodies. | | | | no-no is firing balls at a rapid rate higher than 10 |
| Each paintball game player needs three pieces of | | | | balls per second using electronically boosted |
| game equipment:(1) The paintball marker or "gun," | | | | markers. Although if a player can fire more than |
| which is a shooter used to mark the opponent | | | | that manually, he is tolerated. Wiping is the act of |
| during the game. A loader keeps the shooter | | | | removing paint from one's clothes to pretend one |
| loaded with ammunition and a gas bottle propels | | | | wasn't hit. This is also prohibited. |
| the balls. (2) Paint balls, which are gelatinous | | | | Paintball may be played commercially, with an |
| capsules containing non-toxic polyethylene glycol | | | | admission fee, or in private property. Paintball |
| and dye. (3) Masks, which provide protection for | | | | game sites are usually made up to imitate a |
| the head. They completely cover the organs of | | | | specific environment which may be wooded or |
| the head plus sometimes a portion of the throat. | | | | urban. The terrain can be natural or man-made |
| The rules for playing a paintball game are agreed | | | | and designed to evoke historical situations. |
| upon by the players before commencing. There | | | | There may also be what is termed "renegade" |
| are a great variety of rules for this game, but the | | | | games or "outlaw ball" wherein the site is not well |
| one basic rule is that the players of both teams | | | | prepared and the people have to pay less to play. |
| should try to gain an objective that is pre-set | | | | But such types of paintball games have few |
| before the game starts. Players of one team try | | | | formal rules and the chance of getting injured is |
| to disqualify their opponents buy shooting at | | | | great. |