[spqr-king]

unfated33, on 13 February 2013 - 02:10 PM, said:

spqr-king, on 13 February 2013 - 11:49 AM, said:

Exile308, on 13 February 2013 - 12:14 AM, said:

spqr-king, on 12 February 2013 - 11:36 PM, said:

Exile308, on 12 February 2013 - 11:17 PM, said:

spqr-king, on 12 February 2013 - 05:26 PM, said:

Why all the hate on competitive paintball? Sure it has its downsides but I would hate to see it go away? If the only option I had was to go play army guy every weekend I doubt I would be playing still...

Look I will be honest I am finding I like some of the competitive games playing them. But let me say this bunker to bunker games are a bad way to introduce new people to the game. The shots hurt more at ranges you get hit in some of those games. That can turn off new people. Those style games use much more paint which makes it more expensive to play another turn off for a new player. Honestly right now I think cost effects people when getting into a new hobbies in ways it hasn't in the past.


It isn't that competitive paintball it is bad it is just that is all TV shows show. We watch pro football but we also see people play football in there yards with the kids. The same with most other sports. People don't get to see that with paintball they see what they see on TV. The best way in my opinion to get them paintball to grow is to take people to the field. It needs to be a grass roots thing.

The question is at this point is how do you get people to try something new when they don't really know what it is all about? Would advertising work? Sure I think local fields should do that. Does it need TV shows I don't think so.

In a reletive way its not that expensive though? Its a sport. All sports cost a ton of money to play competitively? Like I said racing is the perfect example. Tons of people watch racing, it cost a ton of money to compete in and like paintball they have an even playing field. People literally sit at a Nascar track watching cars bank for HOURS... at least paintball tourneys have a trade show kind of feel as well.... I just dont get it man.. but it looks like im on the losing side of this argument. I dont want to see paintball blow up and become like other sports just maybe more kids involved and x-games status?

Yea it is expensive. I can play football for the cost of a football. People do it all day every day. In paintball you can rent or buy your equipment but either way you have to buy paint it runs out and you have to buy more. Your example shows what I mean. Yes tons of people watch NASCAR. But all of them have been in a car or driven a car. They have some personal way to relate to it. Paintball people don't have that personal atachment to it unless they go play.

I am not against paintball tourneys I just don't see how the styles of paintball played are going to give anyone an atachment to it from watching it. You say you want more kids involved great. Do you hoenstly thing bunker to bunker style games are the best way to get most kids to want to keep playing or do you think they would enjoy some sort of senerio that makes them go "this is like call of duty"? I bet if you are honest you are going to say of course they would like the second better. Like it or not all sports compete with video games these days.

I love the game. I love that my daughter loves playing. I think the best thing I can do for the sport is let her invite some of her friends.

You cant play COMPETITIVE football for the cost of a football... You need pads, helmets, jerseys, a bus to go to different locals, a coaching staff, a medical staff, and a ton of other personnel and other costs... If your talking about going in your back yard and throwing a football im pretty sure you would do that for a smaller period of time then a case of paint will last the average person... The reason I use Nascar as an example is because just like paintball there are multiple facets to get to the top unlike football where you go from high school to college to pros. In racing and paintball you can go from a number of places. A ton of people have shot a gun at some point in time be it Nerf, water, paintball or an actual gun paintball is relatable it doesnt belong in the main stream on ESPNs main channel but maybe another outlet. Also until a video game can immerse you like real life there is a market for paintball...

I think you've got the right idea, but your perspective is skewed. The topic was the future of paintball and you asked why everyone is bagging on competitive paintball. The answer is because it's expensive. In comparison to other competitive sports, it would appear the cost to entry is comparatively lower - however, the ease of entry into other competitive sports is higher. You still have throttling of players at a competitive level, but then for a different reason.

If the topic was "what's the future of football", you'd have a post of a parent and child throwing a football in the backyard every weekend. It's timeless and its cost is the price of a football. Millions of kids do that, and not even .1% end up in competitive football. It's not bagging on competition to say it's not the future, but it simply isn't anything more than a small subset of the game. Despite not being on tv in any form last year, paintball had its best year post-recession and was the fastest growing search term on google for 2012 and the #1 search term on googlemaps in 2012. People are playing, who cares what anyone is watching on videos and tv?

I dont "care" per say but I wish it would happen more often. I think it would be beneficial to the public opinion of a sport which I wish was more accepted and I wish the competitive side would be what people see rather then the "army guy" mentality because I think that tends to be where public opinion sees a legitimate sport as a joke. I like woodball dont get me wrong im just talking about public opinion which can have an effect on youth and others playing paintball.