"It's an out of date way to play."
"It makes the rest of the sport look bad."
"It's unsafe and destructive."
These are all statements I've heard made about Outlaw paintball in the past five years from dedicated field and die-hard tournament players.  As a die-hard Outlaw player, I have to respond with… What a crock!

Paintball, especially Outlaw/Renegade style, has been under siege from the media, "concerned" citizens, and the media for some time now, and it is an issue we all need to fight back against through educating those opposed to paintball what it is all really about.  Now, in some circles, Outlaw/Renegade style of playing paintball is coming under attack by some that would come to make everyone involved in paintball, and those that aren't, like the aforementioned media believe that it is some bastard offshoot of the only true variation of paintball accepted, field play.  It is at this point, when recreation and tournament players turn their backs on one of the key elements to paintball's survival, that would be Outlaw paintball, I begin to think maybe we should consider the sport to be on the downward spiral.  It's like cousin fighting cousin.  No, actually it's more like a brother attacking brother.  It's just not right.

Why do I make a statement like this?  Simply put, it's historical.  Outlaw paintball is a significant part of the core of what paintball is today.  Think of the very first paintball games.  A bunch of fun loving individuals getting together, going out to a some land, and playing what is paintball's equivalent of a pickup basketball game on a public court.

Outlaw paintball also holds within it's history some of the most important elements of paintball that seem to be missing from the organized sport it is becoming, and the most important element is HONOR!  Recreational, tournament, scenario, even professional variations of paintball all can learn something from Outlaw paintball in some respects.  In an era of Paintball's evolution where tournament players are getting ripped for cheating more and more, referees becoming as unreliable in this sport as they are in the NFL to make a good call, and a variety of associations trying to develop the end-all-be-all rules list 150 pages long, the thing that is missing is that little characteristic that rules Outlaw paintball, honor.  All variations of Paintball can teach teamwork, athleticism and strategy, but I really believe Outlaw paintball is the only true variation that teaches honor above all.  Outlaws play with no referees, so we have to rely on the honor of each player to acknowledge their hits, not to wipe their hits, and demand surrender when appropriate.  It is an important element that allows me to say that in five years of play, we have never had an incident of cheating or injury with the groups I play paintball with.

So then some out there will claim the Outlaw variation is out of date?  Is it because the vast majority of those that play Outlaw style are typically in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties?  So what.  The sport, technically, is the previous generations and ours by rights of creation.  It would have been members of the previous generation as well as Generation X, my generation, which invented, coddled, raised, and promoted the sport to make it what it is today.  Are you going to tell Bob Long, "Mad Dog" Morgan, Durty Dan, and David Youngblood, they are all too old to play the game?  I wouldn't want to the next time they are out on that field.

The next charge is that Outlaw paintball is inherently unsafe, and undisciplined because we don't have a fifteen page small print waiver and rules, and we don't have referees to monitor every little move on the field of play.  While I've already begun to address this with the important topic of honor, allow me to go in depth a bit more.  Every Outlaw group I have encountered still has rules-of-engagement.  The typical rules still exist within our realm: no wiping, NEVER remove your mask, paint-checks, no walking dead, and many more.  The teams I play on keep our rules posted on my web site, as do many other Outlaw teams who have them.  When game time comes, we go over those rules, in their entirety, BEFORE the first game to ensure everyone intending on playing understands.  If you don't comply with the rules, you can go back to the "dead zone" and reconsider if you want to play the rest of the day.  The most important thing to remember is that we have never allowed the thrill of playing the game to interfere with safety concerns and fair play.  We strive to keep the game safe, but through rules that can keep it fun and fair.

Sure, there are those out there that give Outlaw paintball a bad name by playing in city limits of towns that forbid items like paintball guns from being discharged.  They play too close to houses, or they don't care about what they shoot at, including cars, houses, and even family pets.  There are those that use paintball guns maliciously, in drive-by shootings, road-rage, and other acts of pure stupidity as well.  These are the enemy of paintball as a sport, Outlaw, recreational and tournament alike.  They are the ones that the television and printed press zeros in on, gets the copies of the video the idiots filmed while committing their crimes, and then publicizes it at militaristic training on how to hunt and kill people.  Echoes of the backlash against paintball after the local Columbine shootings still ring through the air.

But Outlaw paintball, played where it should be, authorized city or state parks, or in the best case scenario as we have always done, in a National Forest where it is completely legal and accepted, is never a threat to anyone.  Sure, some people may get a bit nervous at seeing a large group of adults standing around in the "dead zone" wearing camoflaugue, wearing masks, and carrying something that looks like a gun.  But those that are concerned typically stop.  And more often than not, they either get a kick out of the idea of playing paintball in the forest, or want to know when we are playing again so they can come play or come watch.

Another aspect of paintball Outlaw can offer is an excellent introductory opportunity to those that are new to the sport.  Why not take a first time newbie to a field instead?  Why risk their necks to the Outlaw variation?  Simple… the cost.  Sure, we all know that Paintball is a naturally expensive sport.  Granted.  But which variety will encourage a new upstart player to come back again when weighing it out?  Consider Outlaw paintball at a $25.00 rental fee for gun, mask, and tank, with say a 1/2 case of paintballs at $40.00 after shipping and a few bucks for a sub, and some water thrown in a cooler.  The alternative is a field which charges $15.00 for a field fee, $20.00 for a rental outfit because oops, sorry, no camo allowed on this field, but hey, bypass that for now.  The field then charges another $70.00 for the equivalent of a 1/2 case of paint because they were purchased in 200 round bags as is the standard method for the field, and finally, over priced food and drinks if they are even offered.  Any first time player will look at that grand total, breaking in at nearly $100.00 and be absolutely shocked, unless they are rolling in cash and could care less the cost.

Paintball is the fastest growing sport in the world.  That is a promotional concept I can live by, because I am helping the sport to grow in the best environment I know.  Outlaw paintball offers a safe, exhilarating and economical alternative to field recreational and tournament play.  It is a variety where a lit guile and a Pro-Lite can rapidly even the odds against an ill-prepared showoff and his Angel.  Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way saying recreational and tournament play has no place in the world of paintball.  What I am saying is that those players, those that haven't see the true side of Outlaw, need to realize that it has its place under the sun too.  In the end, we're all paintball players.

Jim "The Vance" Vance
MPN Columnist