Paintball Guns - Device For a Popular Game

Curious about the history of paintball? I have compiled here a short, sweet version of paintball's history.

Who?

Paintball began when three men, Hayes Noel, Charles Gaines, and Bob Gurnsey, were hanging out and discussing Gaines' recent experiences hunting wild buffalo in Africa. Believe it or not, they were thought to have been inspired by the story, "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. (I know, I never thought that short story would have any significance in the rest of my PAINTBALL BRISBANE life either, scary how things are connected like that) Anyway, these three fellas wanted to create a game that would be similar to the lethal sport discussed in "The Most Dangerous Game." For those of you who don't know, here's a quick summary of the plot:

-Man crashes on "deserted" island.

-Man finds Russian Man who loves hunting.

-Russian Man says Man had to play in his game.

-Man doesn't want to but agrees on the condition Russian Man will let him leave if Man wins.

-The man then finds out Russian Man is going to be hunting him with the intent of killing him.

-Man doesn't like this, but the game begins anyway.

-Games go on, Man panics, then does better after a while, eventually dropping a tree on Russian Man.

-Man kills Russian Man.

-Man lives happily ever after (Okay, so maybe I added that part).

Point being, the history of paintball started with a couple of guys looking for an adrenaline rush.

What?

The first games of paintball were much smaller scale then they are today. The history of the paintball gun started with the Nel-spot 007, a small pistol conventionally used to mark trees and livestock with paint. (Nothing nearly as ferocious as what we have today) As time went on, Bob Gurnsey created the National Survival Game company and cut a deal became the only distributor of paintball equipment for a long while.

When?

This wondrous sport started four score and seven years ago, kidding... In reality, paintball was first stumbled upon around 35 years ago. Around 1981-1983, other companies finally got on the scene to combat Gurnsey's monopoly. This is when the game finally ignited and grew in popularity. Tippmann was also established around this time. In 1984, paintball went international, as Skirmish Paintball created fields in Australia and England. Ever heard of Action Pursuit Games? (A paintball magazine) Well, they were the first magazine for paintball, ever, and hit the market in 1987.

Where?

Paintball was started in the United States, and (as mentioned before) first jumped to other countries in the year 1984. Currently, it's estimated that more than 12 million people play paintball all over the world, in around 100 different countries. (Bet those three guys never thought it would take off this far huh?)

Why?

Why did paintball become so popular? Cause it's awesome, that's why! In reality, it's hard to pinpoint an exact reason for paintball's growing popularity. But, looking at the history of paintball and the history of paintball guns, I'd say paintball probably took off so much because of the adrenaline people get from playing the game. It's a pretty intense experience, one that I think everyone should try.