Ahdinko is correct... It is about having fun and enjoying playing ball. I still love the wood's and always will, thats where I started playing paintball. I enjoying turning up at the site, having a chat, playing ball and help building field's. You also do meet some new great friends. At the same time I do enjoy supair and the adrenaline rush you get off the break you cant beat that.
I will let Jamie know it was you when he gets his 4am wake up call....
I think rental paintball is still going strong and as long as you have site's providing a great service they will get the customers back and new customers by word of mouth. This is where our future is, if they have a bad day don't enjoy it they will find another hobby/sport. If they turn up have a great day walk away with a big smile on their face they may come back for another day then it all spirals from there. Thats how most of us started.
Like all things you can make paintball as expensive or inexpensive as you like, but it is one of those sports that does generally have recurring cost unlike some other sports.
I dont think paintball is dead it does have a future, we are its future and we are the people selling our sport to the new future who are rentals you play ball with or when that nervous rentals who comes up for a chat.