Paintball is a relatively new sport, in which there are teams who try to eliminate their opponents with paint pallets from a special gun called the paintball marker. It has become popular in the last twenty five years. It is a famous sport in European cities. Paintball in Essex is very famous. This game can be played both indoors as well as outdoors. It can also be played individually instead of in teams.

Certain rules of the game are as follows:

* Players are required to capture a flag; whoever captures it first is the winner.
* Players can eliminate the opponent by firing paint pallets at them.
* Players are supposed to defend or attack one particular area. The team or individual that wins that particular area is declared the winner.
* Players can also play a game where a particular object is hidden in the play area and players will have to find it.

Depending on the type of game being played this game can continue for hours at a stretch.

History behind the game

Though paintball in Essex is very famous, it actually originated to replicate the thrill of hunting the wild in Africa. It is based on the famous book by Richard Connell called, The Most Dangerous Game. Three friends, Hayes Noel, Bob Gurnsey, and Charles Gaines, based the theory of this new game on Connell's book and evolved a new game that would require players to develop a hunter's qualities and at the same time become a fun experience for all those who indulge in the game.

The three friends then started searching for a harmless weapon that would give the game a touch of reality and came up with the paintball guns which were manufactured at the Nelson Paint Company. The first ever game was played in June 2, 1981, wherein a dozen players played against each other and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

How the game has evolved

Over time the game has evolved and there are different variants of the game that players enjoy. Originally, the game had limited ammunition for the paint gun but these days with the advancement of technology the game has developed a lot. The indoor form of the game is more famous in Europe. This is due to two reasons: one is the unpredictable weather of the place, the other reason being the huge population density and space constraints. Hence, large open arenas are very few. Paintball in Essex is preferred at indoor arenas.

When the game first began paintballs were oil based. They were very difficult to get rid off after the game was over. These days paint pallets all around Europe are available in gelatine shells that are filled with vegetable oil and food colourings. Arenas for paintball in Essex have all the modern forms and facilities of the game including the modern ammunitions. Many arenas for paintball in Essex have also made glow in the dark, scented, and cold weather paint pallets available for the players. There are several teams that play tournaments of paintball at Essex. The game has evolved considerably since the first major paintball tournament was held in the year 1983.