John Amodea

John Amodea is an American paintball journalist, photographer, publisher, author and documentary filmmaker. Active in paintball since 1985, he is known for his involvement in several specialist magazines, including Paintball Consumer Reports International (PCRI), Paintball 2Xtremes, PaintballX3 and Paintball.Media.[1][2]

Amodea is also the director of The Complete History of Paintball (2020), a documentary examining the origins and development of the sport.[3]

Early involvement in paintball

Amodea first played paintball in 1985 after visiting Skirmish USA in Pennsylvania during a camping trip.

In an August 2025 interview with Paintball Dirt, he recalled regularly travelling from New York City to Pennsylvania to play recreational paintball.[1]

In 1989, Amodea and a business partner opened a commercial paintball field in Virginia.

According to Amodea, difficulties evaluating equipment using the information available in existing paintball magazines encouraged him to consider establishing an independent consumer-oriented publication.[1]

He also participated in tournament paintball, including playing for the American professional team Bad Company. His publisher biography identifies involvement in early National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) tournament promotion and participation in the development of ASTM paintball safety standards.[4]

Paintball publishing

Paintball Consumer Reports International

In 1991, Amodea began preparing a new magazine intended to provide independent equipment reviews and consumer information.

The first issue of Paintball Consumer Reports International (PCRI) was published in March 1992.[1]

The magazine focused on evaluating paintball markers, protective equipment and accessories, alongside tournament reporting and other industry coverage.

PCRI subsequently adopted the expanded name Paintball Competitions and Ratings International while retaining its initials.[5]

The publication continued through the 1990s and established Amodea as a specialist paintball journalist and editor.

Paintball 2Xtremes

Amodea subsequently became editor of Paintball 2Xtremes, a major American paintball magazine.

The publication was acquired by National Paintball Supply in April 2000, after which it continued under new ownership.[5]

Amodea's editorial work included tournament coverage, equipment reviews, interviews and historical features.

The June 2005 issue included 81 Moments That Shaped Paintball, a historical retrospective documenting developments in the sport from its origins through the early 2000s.[5]

PaintballX3

In February 2009, Amodea launched PaintballX3, a free digital paintball magazine.

The first issue contained 126 pages covering professional tournaments, scenario paintball, equipment reviews, interviews and photography.

The digital format incorporated interactive pages, advertising links and video content.

A contemporary interview published by Social Paintball on 13 February 2009 identified Amodea as the editor of the newly launched publication.[6]

PaintballX3 continued publishing until 2014, according to Amodea's retrospective account of his editorial career.[2]

Paintball.Media

Amodea subsequently established Paintball.Media, continuing his work in paintball journalism and photography.

The publication launched a new digital magazine in April 2015, featuring tournament reports, scenario coverage, equipment reviews and interviews.[7]

In his editorial for the first issue, dated May 2015, Amodea described a launch encompassing the magazine, a new website and Paintball.Media's first Millennium Series webcast in France. The website also provided archived tournament broadcasts, videos, news and equipment reviews.[11]

He identified webcast presenters and analysts including Max Lundqvist, Chris LaSoya and Steve Rabackoff, alongside writers and photographers including Erik Chateau, Gary Baum, Alicia Bane and Josh Silverman.[11]

The publication has subsequently operated in digital and print formats.

Amodea serves as editor and media director, coordinating contributions from writers, photographers and other industry specialists.[4]

In April 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted paintball events, Amodea announced plans to continue publishing monthly while placing greater emphasis on equipment reviews, interviews, research and historical articles until tournament and scenario coverage could resume.[12]

Technical publications

In addition to magazine journalism, Amodea authored a series of paintball equipment manuals published under the Survival Guide name.

The guides covered equipment operation, maintenance, upgrades and technical information.

The World Paintball Library's 2011 collector's catalogue documents several titles, including:[8]

The Trracer Survival Guide (1996)
The 68 Carbine Survival Guide (1996)
The High Pressure Survival Guide (1996)
The Tournament Survival Guide (1997)
The Raptor Survival Guide (1997)
The Angel Survival Guide (1998)
The Autococker Upgrade Survival Guide (1998)
The Automag Upgrade Survival Guide (1998)
The Spyder Upgrade Survival Guide (1998)
The Shocker Survival Guide (2000)

His publisher biography states that the Survival Guide series sold more than 100,000 copies.[4]

Photography and historical research

Amodea has photographed tournament and recreational paintball since the late 1980s.

His photography has documented professional teams, tournament formats, players, equipment and events across several decades.

He has also maintained an extensive collection of historical paintball publications, photographs, videos, tournament records and other archival materials.

In February 2019, Amodea published an account of his historical research for The Complete History of Paintball.

During a research visit to New Hampshire, he met former NPPL secretary and scorekeeper Steve Davidson, who provided access to tournament records, score sheets and catalogues from the late 1980s and early 1990s.[9]

Amodea also visited the site of the first recorded multiplayer paintball game in Henniker, New Hampshire.

His historical research has subsequently supported further articles and documentary productions examining the development of paintball.

Documentary filmmaking

The Complete History of Paintball

Amodea directed The Complete History of Paintball, a documentary released for streaming on 21 April 2020.

The film was developed over approximately two years, incorporating historical interviews, archival footage, photographs and documents.[3][9]

The 171-minute documentary examines the sport's origins, equipment development, commercial playing fields, tournament competition, scenario games and international expansion.

An extended six-hour director's cut was also produced.[3]

References

External links