I tihnk it would benefit the marketability of paintball to not keep sliding into the replica gun side of the game to avoid all of the negative baggage that real weapons carry.
I see the replica gun aspect of paintballing as being a liability that does more to fuel political pressure coming from law enforcement and anti-gun interests to further restrict paintballing than it does to improve it - leading to less fields and doing the opposite of growing participation.
paintball larping (which is basically what replica paintballing markers/etc is about) I think really would only work long term if the real stuff was totally illegal and not frequently used in real life. Otherwise it's less of a fantasy and more of a practice... Which is probably not the kind of game you can market outside of ancient sparta to kids without a lot of pushback.
I think keeping paintball markers significantly different looking than real guns will go over better with anti-gun parents and people in general. Also, as fun as large fields are, realistic urban environments and such again feel less like fantasy gaming and more like practicing to many people.
Keep killing abstract ...keep the environment abstract (like the obstacles in speedball / etc), keep the equipment as abstract as possible.. That would improve acceptance and give less ammunition to opposition. abstraction is what separates a game from training.
Most people start out playing in the Woods though, so there should be more focus put on speedball. Speedball Markers, Uniforms, etc. are more colorful and less military which helps the outside impressions of our Sport. I think fields and manufacturers should focus more on that and make it more appealing somehow.
__________________ Dye Whiteout M3s, Dye Black and Silver IM Pro DSR+, MacDev Aqua Camo Clone GTI, and Black Empire Resurrection Pump - Ninja SL2 77/4500 tanks with PowerHouse TKO Tank Regulators - Spyder Sonix with Empire Pure Energy 48/3000 - Jax Shredders - CRBN Paintball - Punisher’s PB
Back in the day there was an Ego 10 commercial that I use to watch all the time. It was really just someone playing in the rain. Does anyone remember it and have the video or link?
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