(Newswire.net — December 16, 2014) — Somewhat surprisingly, between 2004 and 2006, nearly as many people played paintball as played baseball in America. In fact, according to figures from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association and American Sports Data Inc, from 1998 to 2004, participation in the game increased from around 5.9 million to 9.6 million, and on up to a high of around 12 million players in 2006, making it one of the most commonly played athletic disciplines just behind baseball and basketball and ahead of more traditional sports like football, soccer and hockey.
Growth was strong and looked set to continue. Almost 2 million people took to a local paintball field at least once a month, regularly buying the latest accessories, and the US led the way in global sales of paintballing equipment and accessories; a market worth more than half a billion dollars. But then came the crash and, like so many other sectors, the impact was significant.
Falling disposable incomes due to the recession and competing sources of home entertainment, from the internet to video games, captured the attention of the industry’s key market – players aged between 10 and 25 years – and suddenly growth turned into decline. Operators went out of business as player numbers fell to around 3.5 million people a year.
However, since 2011, that number has remained relatively stable: 2013 saw a 1.9% increase in paintball participation over the previous year, making it the first year paintball has seen positive growth in five years. So, there is cause for optimism in the industry as Ryan Husch, proprietor of totalpaintballgear.com, the largest online retailer of its type, explains.
“We’ve been in the industry as a retailer, serving the paintballing community in North America and worldwide for over a decade and we’ve seen the ups and downs first hand. Carrying nearly all of the products offered by all of the most popular brands has given us a unique insight into the sector and we are confident that there is a new, growing market, of dedicated paintballers especially keen on tactical gaming and the use of more realistic weapons such as the range of paintball pistols we carry – the kind our military, police and SWAT teams train with.”
“The fundamentals haven’t really changed. The vast majority of paintball participants are still male and the average age of players is still in the late teens, early twenties but we have seen a rise in spending on tactical gear and guns. Customers want to make their gaming as realistic as possible, dressing up in battle fatigues and carrying ‘guns’ rather than paintball markers. They often buy paintball pistol starter kits because they want holsters and ammo as well as the weapon itself. They want to look and feel the part with some even admitting they use sessions to get used to the idea of handling and firing a gun, should the need ever arise in real life.”
“More and more paintball venues have caught on to the tactical trend too, providing obstacles and physical and mental challenges to overcome. Participants go on missions and whisper commands in military lingo to their fellow combatants through tactical throat microphones. Long gone are the days when people just ran around free to splat whoever they liked in a woodland setting or indoor arena.”
Husch concludes: “For anyone starting out or even returning to the game after an absence, something like a Tippman Tipx deluxe pistol kit makes an ideal purchase or, given the time of year, gift for today’s breed of paintballer. The deluxe pistol kit has everything you need in a tactical paintball sidearm whether you are using it as a back-up or as a primary weapon. It’s realistic looking, lightweight, includes accessories like a holster and magazines and is definitely on-trend for the current market.”
Paintball has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1950s. Playing environments, equipment and clothing have undergone a transformation. Perhaps now that disposable incomes are once again on the rise, and fuelled by a never ending stream of action movies, innovative technology and advances in online gaming, paintball may be due for resurgence. After all, despite having fewer players than in its heyday, it is already a multi-million dollar industry with professional competitors and corporate sponsorships, so retailers and customers alike should look forward to a more exciting future.
Interviews, further editorial information and photography available from Ryan Husch – info@totalpaintballgear.com; 1-888-855-9854.
Notes:
Born, raised and still living in Kelowna, British Columbia, Husch, now in his late thirties, has been a dedicated paintballer since his early teens. He built his online business, Total Paintball Gear, in 2003 partly to satisfy his own frustration that he couldn’t get all the equipment and accessories he needed from one store. Since then, the site has gone from strength to strength to become one of the largest retailers of speedball and tactical/scenario paintball supplies in the world.