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Before the 1980s, paintballs were nothing more than globs of paint that dripped from painters' brushes. But today, paintball is widely known as a game of wits, speed and above all'fun.

The rules of paintball are very simple: there are none. Imagination of the players involved decides what the objectives are and what the rules will be. A couple of games that players compete in include capture the flag (where one team must capture the other team's flag or 'shoot' all the other team's players to win), or elimination (i.e. the team that eliminates all the players on the opposing team, by way of a paintball shot, wins).

The first game of paintball was played in New Hampshire in the 1980s, but the game didn't really take off until the early 1990s, with several lots and fields opening for paintballers in parts of England and the United States.

Although the game is meant to be fun and suits all those who are looking for some good old-fashioned horseplay, paintball'like many other professional sports'is a big moneymaker for players. The inception of the National Professional Paintball League in 1992 spurned a host of tournaments around the globe, several of which are aired on ESPN, with winning teams awarded tens of thousands of dollars.

Some 12 million people worldwide are now taking part in what has become the second most popular extreme sport in the world, fourth most popular extreme sport in the U.S.A., based on overall participation.

Wouldn't you like to become one of them? With the help of the electronic guide, you won't just become a participant, but one of the elite participants. Whether you've been competing in paintball competitions for years, have dabbled in it or are considering playing, the electronic guide will give you the tips and tricks you need. Some of the things you'll learn include the best equipment to use (and why you should never use a used mask), what every paintball gun should have, why expensive doesn't always mean better, how to avoid common mistakes in the game, a listing of rules for several different paintball games, what a 'pod' is and why you need more of them and a whole lot more!