We've all borne witness to the recent resurgence in woodland events this past couple of years as exemplified by the events that Twizz, Ged Green et al have been promoting of late.
However, the jury is still out regarding the real nature of this walk back down memory lane ....
It's relatively easy to describe this renaissance as just being a nostalgic nod to the past but it's just as easy to characterise it as a serious resurgent market that needs real recognition by our industry - And that means investing in this revival.
The real test of any fundamental shift in the marketplace has to come down to two factors; growth and new blood.
Without these, it's merely a matter of time before market forces begin to eat away at its foundations.
One thing to note here, the new blood that's required has to come from a younger demographic, and this is because at present, the vast majority of players in these woodland events are from an era where disclaimer forms were made out of parchment scrolls.
I doubt very much there'll be any increase in the existing playing demographic of these events purely because there's a natural limit on how many potential players can return to the game.
Let's face it, nature ain't gonna stop thinning out the herd just because you want to pick up a paintball marker again.
Don't get me wrong here, I would love this resurgence to bite deep into the male psyche like it once did and in so doing create a growth surge ….. I know people have got so many other things they could be doing these days but paintball's USP, in my not so humble opinion, is its profound effect on you when you first begin to play.
The reaction is visceral, it's a combination of abject fear, profound excitement and soiled underwear - the only other time I've ever felt such a physiological and psychological response, and that is when boxing - I was never going to make it as a boxer mainly because I had an aversion to being hit.
This woodland revival phenomenon has been running a couple of years now but does it possess real gravitas or is this resurgence merely a flash in the pan as the dying embers of yesteryear's paintball warriors flicker once again into oblivion?
Go to Top of the Page to cast your vote …...
Note: All votes are anonymous unless of course you guys want them made public.
However, the jury is still out regarding the real nature of this walk back down memory lane ....
It's relatively easy to describe this renaissance as just being a nostalgic nod to the past but it's just as easy to characterise it as a serious resurgent market that needs real recognition by our industry - And that means investing in this revival.
The real test of any fundamental shift in the marketplace has to come down to two factors; growth and new blood.
Without these, it's merely a matter of time before market forces begin to eat away at its foundations.
One thing to note here, the new blood that's required has to come from a younger demographic, and this is because at present, the vast majority of players in these woodland events are from an era where disclaimer forms were made out of parchment scrolls.
I doubt very much there'll be any increase in the existing playing demographic of these events purely because there's a natural limit on how many potential players can return to the game.
Let's face it, nature ain't gonna stop thinning out the herd just because you want to pick up a paintball marker again.
Don't get me wrong here, I would love this resurgence to bite deep into the male psyche like it once did and in so doing create a growth surge ….. I know people have got so many other things they could be doing these days but paintball's USP, in my not so humble opinion, is its profound effect on you when you first begin to play.
The reaction is visceral, it's a combination of abject fear, profound excitement and soiled underwear - the only other time I've ever felt such a physiological and psychological response, and that is when boxing - I was never going to make it as a boxer mainly because I had an aversion to being hit.
This woodland revival phenomenon has been running a couple of years now but does it possess real gravitas or is this resurgence merely a flash in the pan as the dying embers of yesteryear's paintball warriors flicker once again into oblivion?
Go to Top of the Page to cast your vote …...
Note: All votes are anonymous unless of course you guys want them made public.
