magman007
07-16-2006, 02:12 PM
Every time there is a thread about some stupid people that shot up some mailboxes in front of a cop, or some stupid guy puts a screw driver down a barrel and fires, is paintball really hindered at all?
Think about this for a moment. Paintball has been around since the 80's. It used to be a hardcore war sim game in the late 80's, and most people thought paintballers were crazy etc. No matter the industry pushed on, and continued to grow. Then tournament paintball came around. Still the war feel, but with a more war game type feel. It kept on growing and getting bigger and more popular, even with the negative stigma around it. the mid 90's roll around, and speed ball and hyperball are conceptualized. Even more did paintball grow. With a mentality of woods and speed ball were both still cool to play, and the industry grew even bigger. Sup air ball, ultimate air, etc come around. The industry booms. Tournament play is THE cool thing. Whats cooler than big fluffy pillows, stuff paint bounces off of for the most part, and you can manipulate with your body to fit you much more protectively? Industry gets larger and larger. People love it, and those who dont, still think the same thing. The 2000's, big tournaments, huge technology jumps in the electro market, suff becomes faster, more professional. All the big companies start to treat it like an actual business. High dollar high risk sorta stuff. Crazy designs, and ideas, all of which are snatched up like crack in an inner city ally way. Super sexy advertising is in, a hard core, tournament player ideal is instilled, and the edgey ness of the industry is instilled. Rebelious attitudes are in. yet, people still think its this big houligan thing. That everyone who plays, shoots up houses or cars. The same sect of people stand.
Today. Paintball hit its big point, and has now settled on a slight plateau technologically speaking, and sales wise. The baby boomlet has hit college/ career time, and it has all slowed down. Younger players are starting to get into the sport, after seeing what we, their child hood idles, have done in the sport. Because we were cool to them. Streetball comes around, an awesome mix of rebel gangster, and fashion. But it soon became capitalized, For example, HK Army pushing people out of business for stepping on their aunthentic hk wares etc. The nation, THE largest paintball forum on the web, and the 20th largest forum period, Is taken over by this craze. It was HK or nothing. Sport still grew, and yet the people who still think it is about shooting cars, and causing trouble is what paintball is all about. Cheep speed was introduced into the market. Semi quality, yet tournament speed capable and easy to use markers are all the rage. This causes other prices to drop. Instead of loosing their super high priced luxury marker image, companies released stripped down versions of markers. Markers that perform alot like their more expensive counterparts, but do not have all of the features or benifits of owning the "best gun on the market". Allong with these quality, but less featured parts, comes even more edgy advertising. Small companies with a cool attitude like hybrid thrive, where as some of the larger parts companies struggle and even die out. The best example of this company would be the once super edgy marketing machine of the earlier tourny years, KAPP. The sports getting bigger every day, now on espn, what everyone wanted, and it is gaining more exposure to the uninfomed public eye. Same thinking, is going on, but, more people who didnt know about the sport, have made up their mind on the issue.
The thing is, no matter what, the industry still pushes forwards, or atleast still continues to thrive. The people who believe all it will ever be is shooting of cars and causing trouble will still believe that. The masses now knows paintball, and the masses have decided on what they are cool with. There will always be haters, in any industry, and if the industry is worth while in enough of the masses eyes, then then the masses will carry on the progression.
Look at skateboarding, the same progression, with even more trouble. It is now the number 2 extreme sport. Skateboarding nearly went extinct a few times in its days, but it still progressed on. The tattoo industry, was once a pretty taboo thing to do, no one sported ink unless they were in the navy, a hells angel, or just really trying to be different. Now a days, il bet you not one person in the usa, doesnt know some one else that doesnt have ink.
So on and so fourth.
Every time i see these threads pop up, and 10 people go, oh man this is terrible! the whole industry is DOOOOOMED!!! and one lengthy explanation why the industry is doomed, and how we can sign an online petition to save the world, the issue at hand dies, with little to no actual negative light as a whole. No publicity is bad publicity everyone always says. People still think skateboarding is for juvinile delinquints, but everyone skates now, or has done it for a bit in the past. same goes with biking, fruit booting, snow boarding etc etc. Heck, some industrys shut down for a year or two. Look at the mlb and nhl, we will one day be in their shoes.
So, can we all agree, that sure, a few more un informed people may be turned off to paintball, but that doesnt effect us what so ever. I mean, even with these stories, even whole countrys have changed their outlook on paintball. Australia now allows you to play, when for a while their strict pollicies on gun control had not allowed the sport to be introduced there.
Think about this for a moment. Paintball has been around since the 80's. It used to be a hardcore war sim game in the late 80's, and most people thought paintballers were crazy etc. No matter the industry pushed on, and continued to grow. Then tournament paintball came around. Still the war feel, but with a more war game type feel. It kept on growing and getting bigger and more popular, even with the negative stigma around it. the mid 90's roll around, and speed ball and hyperball are conceptualized. Even more did paintball grow. With a mentality of woods and speed ball were both still cool to play, and the industry grew even bigger. Sup air ball, ultimate air, etc come around. The industry booms. Tournament play is THE cool thing. Whats cooler than big fluffy pillows, stuff paint bounces off of for the most part, and you can manipulate with your body to fit you much more protectively? Industry gets larger and larger. People love it, and those who dont, still think the same thing. The 2000's, big tournaments, huge technology jumps in the electro market, suff becomes faster, more professional. All the big companies start to treat it like an actual business. High dollar high risk sorta stuff. Crazy designs, and ideas, all of which are snatched up like crack in an inner city ally way. Super sexy advertising is in, a hard core, tournament player ideal is instilled, and the edgey ness of the industry is instilled. Rebelious attitudes are in. yet, people still think its this big houligan thing. That everyone who plays, shoots up houses or cars. The same sect of people stand.
Today. Paintball hit its big point, and has now settled on a slight plateau technologically speaking, and sales wise. The baby boomlet has hit college/ career time, and it has all slowed down. Younger players are starting to get into the sport, after seeing what we, their child hood idles, have done in the sport. Because we were cool to them. Streetball comes around, an awesome mix of rebel gangster, and fashion. But it soon became capitalized, For example, HK Army pushing people out of business for stepping on their aunthentic hk wares etc. The nation, THE largest paintball forum on the web, and the 20th largest forum period, Is taken over by this craze. It was HK or nothing. Sport still grew, and yet the people who still think it is about shooting cars, and causing trouble is what paintball is all about. Cheep speed was introduced into the market. Semi quality, yet tournament speed capable and easy to use markers are all the rage. This causes other prices to drop. Instead of loosing their super high priced luxury marker image, companies released stripped down versions of markers. Markers that perform alot like their more expensive counterparts, but do not have all of the features or benifits of owning the "best gun on the market". Allong with these quality, but less featured parts, comes even more edgy advertising. Small companies with a cool attitude like hybrid thrive, where as some of the larger parts companies struggle and even die out. The best example of this company would be the once super edgy marketing machine of the earlier tourny years, KAPP. The sports getting bigger every day, now on espn, what everyone wanted, and it is gaining more exposure to the uninfomed public eye. Same thinking, is going on, but, more people who didnt know about the sport, have made up their mind on the issue.
The thing is, no matter what, the industry still pushes forwards, or atleast still continues to thrive. The people who believe all it will ever be is shooting of cars and causing trouble will still believe that. The masses now knows paintball, and the masses have decided on what they are cool with. There will always be haters, in any industry, and if the industry is worth while in enough of the masses eyes, then then the masses will carry on the progression.
Look at skateboarding, the same progression, with even more trouble. It is now the number 2 extreme sport. Skateboarding nearly went extinct a few times in its days, but it still progressed on. The tattoo industry, was once a pretty taboo thing to do, no one sported ink unless they were in the navy, a hells angel, or just really trying to be different. Now a days, il bet you not one person in the usa, doesnt know some one else that doesnt have ink.
So on and so fourth.
Every time i see these threads pop up, and 10 people go, oh man this is terrible! the whole industry is DOOOOOMED!!! and one lengthy explanation why the industry is doomed, and how we can sign an online petition to save the world, the issue at hand dies, with little to no actual negative light as a whole. No publicity is bad publicity everyone always says. People still think skateboarding is for juvinile delinquints, but everyone skates now, or has done it for a bit in the past. same goes with biking, fruit booting, snow boarding etc etc. Heck, some industrys shut down for a year or two. Look at the mlb and nhl, we will one day be in their shoes.
So, can we all agree, that sure, a few more un informed people may be turned off to paintball, but that doesnt effect us what so ever. I mean, even with these stories, even whole countrys have changed their outlook on paintball. Australia now allows you to play, when for a while their strict pollicies on gun control had not allowed the sport to be introduced there.