Paintball developed in the early '80s as a game revolving around the use of paint marking guns used to mark trees and cattle. From there, a sport evolved that involves millions of people worldwide. There are several formats of games played with paintball guns, from wildly popular to obscure. You can find people playing these games on paintball fields around the country year round.
Capture the Flag
Capture the flag is one of the most popular game formats for paintball. It involves placing flags at opposite sides of the field, with the objective being that you take the flag from your team's side of the field to your side. When you do so, you either win the game or score a point, as occasionally games are played where you must capture the flag a certain number of times before winning. When a player is tagged, they usually must return to a neutral location and sit out the rest of the game or come back into the game after a predetermined time out.
Center Flag
This game is very similar to capture the flag, except only one flag is used, and it is placed in the center of the field. The first team to capture it and return it to their side wins or scores a point. Often this style of game is played in a full elimination format in which a tagged player is removed from the game for the duration, so winning the match could also be accomplished by simply eliminating the opposing team without worrying about the flag.
Alamo
This game revolves around a small number of players starting in a highly fortified position, usually with superior firepower and trying to hold out for a predetermined period of time against a much larger force that doesn't have the benefit of fortification. This game is definitely played in a total elimination format, completely removing tagged players from the game. If the smaller force remains in control of their fort at the end of the time limit, they win the game.
Tags: This game, capture flag, elimination format, from game, games played
