a sport^[1] in which players eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint (referred to as a "paintball") usually shot from a carbon dioxide or compressed-gas (HPA or N2) powered paintball gun (or marker).

Paintball draws a wide array of people, and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association estimates that over 5.4 million people played the game in the United States in 2007, with over 1.5 million playing at least 15 times that year.