According to the listing page at Paintball Review, Illinois (including the Chicagoland area) has 50 paintball parks as of August 2010. From huge outdoor paintball facilities with several game fields to small fields that are part of family fun parks, players of all ages can get exercise and enjoy the outdoors. Paintball players use an air gun that shoots paint at opposing players. The intensity of play depends on a person's experience, the type of field and the specific scenario, or game objective. In many ways, paintball is a live-action version of extreme-action video games.
Types of Paintball Games
Organized paintball games give extreme-sports fans a number of ways to ply their skills and stay competitive. The goal of Capture the Flag, one of the most basic and popular games, is to retrieve the opposing team's flag and bring it back to base without getting hit. In "Hostage Rescue," two teams are divided into "Hostages and Rescuers" and "Terrorists" The Terrorists lead Hostages into a sequestered area, and the Rescuers need to find them to win. The Terrorists win the game if they stop all the hostages from escaping. Experienced players can participate in scenario games (re-enactments of famous battles) or speedball games, played at a fast pace on small fields with inflatable bunkers. Fun Time Square in Alsip, south of Chicago, has many difficult everyday objects on the field--junk cars, walls and inner tubes--to give players hiding places for both speedball and regular games.
Private Paintball Events
Some Chicago area paintball parks offer special play packages for private events such as birthday parties and bachelor parties. Badlandz Paintball Field in Crete, 30 miles south of downtown Chicago, offers four separate packages for parties and special events. The cost per person includes equipment rental (semiautomatic paintball gun, goggles, mask and air tank.) The packages also have air refills for guns and up to 1,000 paintball rounds. Birthday packages include use of a private field for a whole day. Kids' birthdays events include lunch and cupcakes for all guests and a private referee.
Scenario Paintball Fields
Larger paintball parks in the Chicago area give players a number of scenario fields, with unusual settings. CPX Sports, in far South Joliet, has a range for warming up before a game, 13 woods fields, tournament fields and several themed fields. The "Town of Bedlam" a replica of a small American town, offers players many unusual hiding places and allows for plenty of creative activities. The "Wastelands" field provides players with a scenario similar to the movie "The Road Warrior," littered with many abandoned cars and trailers. "The Jungle of Doom" replicates an Aztec Temple and an "Indiana Jones" storyline.
Paintball Clothes
The Badlandz Paintball recommends that players wear loose, old clothing, like sweatpants, baggy jeans or camouflage pants. Wear a heavy pair of socks. Sneakers should have treads that give you good traction on a field or gravel pit. Cover your head with a knit cap or other hat that fits tightly over your head. Wear a T-shirt in warm weather or a plain old sweatshirt in cooler weather. Some players like to wear a bandanna or old scarf over their neck.
Indoor Paintball
Avoid inclement weather or heat by choosing an indoor paintball center. Chicagoland Paintball in suburban south Glenwood provides a clean, quiet atmosphere that's suitable for beginning players and youngsters. The facilities have showers, Internet connections and a viewing area for fans and family. Schedule a practice session on Saturday or Sunday. Single-player "walk-ons" can mix in with other paintball teams.
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