Indoor Paintball Versus Outdoor

I’m often asked by people about the differences between indoor and outdoor paintball. There are positives and negatives for both. Essentially they offer different experiences and depending on your mood you might prefer one over the other. I don’t necessarily think you say one of them is better, but they do offer a much different experience. Either way, I thought I could break it down for you.

Indoor Paintball

Basically this is an arena that you can play in a building that is controlled. There are objects to hide behind. Some places have inflated objects, while others have wooden barriers. Whatever they’re made of, you use them to hide behind and take cover.

If you’re new or starting out in the sport than indoor will probably suit you better just for the fact that you can focus on shooting and things of this nature. When you’re outside you have to worry about changing terrain. Indoor is also a lot more intense with faster games. Buildings have limited space, so you and your opponents are relatively close.

If you get right down to the pros, I think it’s great because it is easier for new people. It is a much better place to practice. You can play at night and during other types of weather. Some of the cons are the fact that the area will be smaller. Sometimes it can get a little boring with the same type of obsticals. Also you might have trouble taking indoor strategies and moving them outdoor.

Outdoor Paintball

Playing outdoor is a lot different. I personally like playing outside because it is a lot more realistic. When you’re playing in the woods and places like that, you have a lot more strategic moves you can do other than shooting. Hiding in the brush can be a great position.

Another advantage is the fact that you can play a lot more games like capture the flag or king of the hill. You can also play out specific positions like raiding dug in enemies and things of this nature. It makes the game a lot more diverse.

When you’re playing outside it is important to have a decent paintball marker because the ranges in which you’re going to have to shoot greatly varying. In a building, typically you’ll be firing on an opponent at a very specific distance, where as outside they could be close or far away. Having a great market will really help you out when it comes to your gameplay. As well, you have to contend to things like wind speed, which often effects your accuracy.

The pros are that you can do a lot more outside. You can play different games and engage in a lot of different strategies. Things like tracking and stealth are very important. Which makes it much more realistic. The cons are really about the weather. You probably won’t be playing the winter, so you’re limited to playing time. Plus, the fact that you’re going to have a much longer learning curve.