Editing Paintball (section)

== History ==

=== Origins ===

Paintball developed from an idea discussed during the late 1970s by American writer [[Charles Gaines]] and stockbroker [[Hayes Noel]], who debated whether wilderness survival skills or urban experience would provide an advantage in an outdoor competition.

The pair subsequently experimented with paint-marking pistols originally developed for forestry and agricultural use.

Together with [[Bob Gurnsey]], they organised a larger game using the [[Nelspot 007]], a CO2-powered marking pistol sold by the [[Nelson Paint Company]].[1]

The first recorded organised paintball game took place on '''27 June 1981''' in Henniker, New Hampshire, United States.

Twelve participants competed across approximately 100 acres of woodland in a game called ''The Survival Game''.

Players attempted to collect coloured flags from four stations while avoiding elimination by opponents.

The winner was Ritchie White, a New Hampshire forester, who collected the required flags without firing his marker.[1]

The event was subsequently documented by participant Robert F. Jones for ''Sports Illustrated'', helping introduce the activity to a wider audience.

=== National Survival Game ===

Following the 1981 event, Gurnsey, Gaines and Noel developed the activity commercially under the name '''[[National Survival Game]]''' (NSG).

The business marketed equipment, rules and opportunities to participate in organised games.

Commercial playing fields began opening during 1982, while independent companies entered the emerging equipment market.

Among the earliest was [[Pursuit Marketing Inc.]] (PMI), established by [[Jeffrey Perlmutter]] and [[David Freeman]] in 1982.[2]

The first National Survival Game Championship was held in New Hampshire in 1983.

The tournament featured teams from the United States and Canada and was won by the [[Unknown Rebels]], a team from Ontario.[4]

Paintball subsequently expanded beyond North America, with organised play developing in Europe, Australia and other regions during the 1980s.

=== Development of equipment ===

Early paintball markers were derived from agricultural marking equipment and used manually operated mechanisms, CO2 cartridges and limited ammunition capacities.

During the 1980s, manufacturers introduced purpose-built markers, gravity-fed loaders and improvements to firing mechanisms.

The development of semi-automatic markers increased firing rates and changed how paintball was played.

During the 1990s, electronic markers became increasingly common in tournament competition.

Notable designs included the [[Automag]], [[Autococker]], [[Shocker]] and [[Angel]].

The development of electronic firing systems, compressed-air equipment and high-capacity loaders contributed to the emergence of modern competitive paintball.

=== Development of speedball ===

Paintball was initially played predominantly in woodland environments.

During the late 1980s and 1990s, smaller tournament fields using artificial obstacles became increasingly popular.

[[SC Village]] in California dates its early speedball exhibitions to 1989, when it introduced a compact arena incorporating constructed bunkers and central scoring objectives.[5]

The development of [[Hyperball]] during the mid-1990s introduced tournament fields constructed from large plastic pipes.

Inflatable bunker systems subsequently became standard at many professional tournaments, allowing organisers to create repeatable field layouts with improved spectator visibility.

=== Professional competition ===

The [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL) emerged during the early 1990s as a national tournament organisation in the United States.

Its original competitions primarily used a 10-man format.[6]

The [[Millennium Series]], established in 1999, became a major European tournament circuit.

In 2001, American tournament promoters established [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] (PSP), which subsequently separated from the NPPL.

From 2003, the NPPL operated its seven-man Super 7 World Series, while PSP developed [[X-Ball]] and other timed tournament formats.[7]

The [[National Xball League]] (NXL) became the principal American professional tournament circuit following the end of PSP's national programme in 2015.

Professional and divisional competitions continue to operate in North America, Europe and other regions.