Paintball

Paintball is a game in which players eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint (referred to as a "paintball"), usually shot from a carbon dioxide or compressed-gas (HPA or N2) powered paintball gun (or marker).

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association estimates that over 5.4 million people played the game in the United States in 2007, with over 1.5 million playing at least 15 times.

Games can be played either indoors or outdoors and take various forms, of which some of the most popular are woodsball, scenario, X-Ball and speedball. Rules for playing paintball vary widely, with most designed to ensure that participants enjoy the sport in a safe environment. The sport requires a significant amount of equipment.

A game of paintball usually involves two opposing teams seeking to eliminate all of the other team's players or to complete some other objective, such as retrieving a flag, eliminating a specific player, or other variations. Depending on the style of paintball played, a game can last from seconds to hours.