International
Paintball has had explosive growth over the last fifteen years. It is now played in over 140 countries. It is a common casual sport worldwide and is also played professionally, with prizes in some areas as high as $100,000. The participation rate in paint ball has increased 29.6% from 1998 to 2001, and frequent participation (15+ days a year) has increased by 78% in the same 3 year period. Even though those stats are older, the trend in growth continues to this day. This means that the sport is enjoyed by a great many amount of people; some of them are quite casual about it, while for some people, the hobby borders on obsession.