Rob Maddox

Rob Maddox, known as Psyg’, is a New Zealand paintball player, writer, online community organiser and former association official. He played for The Goodies and Kamo Karzi, operated the New Zealand Paintball website and helped run PaintNet, a paintball bulletin-board network documented in 1995.[1][2][3]

Maddox also wrote tournament reports for Paintball.co.nz and served as secretary of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association.[4][5][6]

Playing career

Early involvement

In his contemporary New Zealand Paintball profile, Maddox recalled first playing on his thirteenth birthday at the former Ultimate Game field in Riverhead, Auckland. He described hearing about paintball through a friend and subsequently reading an explanatory article in the New Zealand Herald.[1]

The Goodies and Kamo Karzi

Maddox's profile identifies him as a longstanding Kamo Karzi member who previously played for The Goodies.[1]

Kamo Karzi's website identifies him by the nickname Psyg’ and states that he joined in 1994 after The Goodies broke up. It also describes his involvement in maintaining the New Zealand Paintball website, operating PaintNet and writing for overseas paintball magazines.[2]

Kamo Karzi won Division Two of the 1997 National Paintball League and finished third overall and first in Division Two at the 1997 Auckland Nationals.[2]

Maddox's account of the 1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals records Kamo Karzi finishing eleventh with 435 points. Maddox received the tournament's Best Flag Pull award for a flag pull during a game against Katipo One.[5]

PaintNet and Mordor BBS

In December 1995–February 1996, Australian Paintballer published Maddox's article “Using the Net to Catch New Players”. It described PaintNet as a free paintball message network operated by members of Kamo Karzi.[3]

Maddox was listed as the contact for Mordor BBS, one of nine bulletin-board systems regularly receiving PaintNet messages. The network carried discussion, tactical and technical advice, team messages, event listings and advertising. Messages were also distributed through the OtherNet.PaintNet Usenet area.[3]

PaintNet organised an InterBBS four-player stock-class tournament. The winning Mordor BBS team comprised Psyg, Allison, Hobbit and Wolf. Maddox credited other players and Commando One Paintball operator Rob Tapper with assisting the event.[3]

New Zealand Paintball website

Maddox's profile and the Kamo Karzi website identify him as the operator of the New Zealand Paintball website during the late 1990s.[1][2]

The website published player profiles, team information, field directories and articles. Maddox's later work for Paintball.co.nz included reports on the 1997 and 1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals.[4][5]

The paintball.co.nz domain was listed under Paintball Express in contemporary Internet directories from October 1996 and March 1997. Maddox's subsequent association with the domain therefore does not establish that he originally registered it.[7][8]

Writing

Maddox contributed contemporary reporting on New Zealand tournament paintball. His Nationals accounts documented results, organisation and incidents during play, including Kamo Karzi's third-place finish in 1997 and his own award in 1998.[4][5]

In April 2004, he interviewed Rik Goldsworthy about Saints and the team's participation at NPPL Huntington Beach.[9]

New Zealand Paintball Players Association

Maddox served as secretary of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association (NZPPA).[6]

In his February 2004 article “What has the NZPPA done for me?”, he identified himself as a former secretary who remained an association member but no longer served on its committee. The article presented his personal account of the association's work.[6]

Equipment and views

In his profile preserved in February 1998, Maddox identified the Shocker as his preferred marker for semi-automatic or open competition and the Phantom SCP for stock-class or pump competition.[1]

He advocated greater team participation, more favourable publicity and a national paintball body establishing safety standards and practices.[1]

References

New Zealand Paintball — Who's Who: Rob Maddox. Contemporary profile recording his early playing recollections, team membership, website operation, equipment preferences and views; February 1998 archive.
Team Kamo Karzi — Team History and Team Members. Official team website, archived on 4 February 1998. Identifies Psyg’ as Rob Maddox and records his joining date, previous team and media involvement.
Rob Maddox, “Using the Net to Catch New Players”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 22.
Rob Maddox, “1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals”, Paintball.co.nz, October 1997. Contemporary tournament report; direct archived article URL not recovered.
Rob Maddox, “1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals”, Paintball.co.nz, October 1998. Contemporary report recording Kamo Karzi's placing and Maddox's Best Flag Pull award; direct archived article URL not recovered.
Rob Maddox, “What has the NZPPA done for me?”, Paintball.co.nz, February 2004. Identifies Maddox as a former NZPPA secretary. Archived articles index.
Mark Davies — “Internet Connected Organisations in New Zealand”. nz.net.announce, 1 October 1996. Lists paintball.co.nz under Paintball Express.
Mark Davies — “Internet Connected Organisations in New Zealand”. nz.net.announce, 31 March 1997. Lists paintball.co.nz under Paintball Express.
Rob Maddox, “Interview with Rik Goldsworthy”, Paintball.co.nz, April 2004. Interview conducted during Wellington X-Cess 2004; direct archived article URL not recovered.

External links