Editing Paintball (section)

=== 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.