Building & collecting vs playing

[Jimmydee]

I drive 3.5 hours one way at least once a month to go to the field. All the fields are about 3 hours drive from me one way. I bring the family now and we make a day of it. My wife and daughter swap out

[iamthelazerviking]

I need to get my wife on board lol. My 3 year old daughter knows what paintball is and that daddy does it, if I could get the whole family involved that would be the best

[Jimmydee]

Since I do a lot of buying I end up getting so many soft goods and entry level masks etc and for me that stuff doesn’t sell, so I take it to my field and work a deal out with the owner who gives me store credit for it. That way I don’t ever have to “pay” and he gets a lot of stuff he can cheaply sell to new players. Neither of us are making money on rather getting it to those who want to get into playing but can’t spend all that money

[Psycho91]

Jimmydee I love that you do that, iv given away alot of gear to newer players that I wasn't gonna use the excitement you get from them is priceless, also loving the old school proteus I have a modded all clear one I rock as my main mask

[Melrosejedi]

when i started playing i really didnt have play money to buy or build extran guns,so i had one gun i would upgrade when i could.i build guns now but really dont like a gun that sits around and i like being comfortable with a gun and that comes from frequent use.i also get attached to my builds and then i cant part with them,so its not beneficial for me in the long run. Do what makes you happy,but please get out and play with those guns as this is what we really love isnt it?

[Chuck E Ducky]

I’m a player 1st, collector 2nd.

I live for the battle. I love the adrenaline dump “10seconds” before that buzzer goes off at the start of a match. The rush of a bump while streams of paint flying past your face like you’re in a matrix movie. The thought process while you wait for your next move. The Art behind learning your opponents play styles while you try to out think them in this high speed game of chess. That feeling of a well place shot. The Hunt, the Battles and the Friends I have made along the way. This is what keeps me coming back.

Collecting for me has always been about having the means to get the things I always wanted as a kid. I like cool unique mostly practical setups. I don’t just have a lot of paintball stuff. Maybe to an outsider it may just be paintball Stuff. But to me they are cool unique pieces I really enjoy using. Each one has a story, or a memory behind it. This is why I collect.

Paintball is part of who I am. I hope to one day teach my boys how to play. They are just now getting to the point they are almost ready. I don’t want to rush or force it on them. But I’m truly blessed to have a Family that is fully supportive of my Paintball Lifestyle.

So if it’s something you truly enjoy, make time for it. Life is too short for regrets.

[Melrosejedi]

Amen ,Life is too short. Play

[Chappy]

At this point my collecting has switched from getting the cool stuff I had as a kid to getting a pile of gear that is reliable and user friendly and furthers my ability to play with multiple people. I am in a situation where I have the land to play on. Being able to play with my kids and their friends as well as invite the people I play with here has been my goal with equipment for the last year and a half.
I still enjoy the collection aspect. I do enjoy rebuilding my montneels occasionally and getting some liquid co2 action going for the fun of it. But the goal is always to play with it.
Last game I of the day yesterday, it was just BretG vs me left on the field. He was upstairs in a container with only one way out. I was downstairs creeping up. Holding my gun lefty, pointing into the shadow, waiting, does he know I’m coming? Of course he does I’m the only one left and he knows I’m not one to wait around. When he came around and we ahot each other it was amazing. Moments like that recharge my batteries.
Dont get discouraged because you can’t play much now. Things change , just find the time when you can. When I haven’t played in a long time I plan something, prepay and take vacation

[Cyberpyr8]

I don't really collect. But I buy and resell a ton. If I want a marker I buy it and use it until I'm good and then resell it. I don't make a lot of money but I look at it like not having a marker I paid for and have it sitting in a box or mounted to a wall unused. If I lose a few hundred a year, It's probably still cheaper than collecting 5 or more markers a year. Plus I get to pass it on to someone else to use and enjoy. I don't want markers just sitting unused. It's a waste to me. But I get to try whatever marker I want to use. It's a win win for me.

[homerj]

I mostly only buy guns/gear that i intend to use. Whether or not i ever actually use them is a different story. I have bought packages because i only really wanted one or two things they were selling but i don’t think that really counts.

[Tarsun2]

i havent played in over 7 years...
before that, i was big into collecting/building. its was like the old days where people would build model cars.
i would look for interesting spyders and do complete teardowns and real deep cleanings. i would source out original parts and hardware. if it came with black flatheads and star lock washers, id make sure it got black flatheads with star lock washers when i put it all back together... id take my time and make sure it was "factory" and in working order. that was the fun for me. i still have most of them too but priorities have changed and the collection has stagnated. i thought about writing down what i like about each marker and why i thought it was interesting or why i kept it, roll it up and stuff it in the barrel or something. so when im gone, someone will know more about them than just "my husband/father passed away and left these; i know nothing about them."

even now, ill grab a push mower on the side of the road, clean it, get it running, and then put it in front of my house for someone to pick up. "free and runs". havent had one last more than a few hours. i just like completing repairs. its also what i do for a living; fixing hospital equipment.
my wife thinks im crazy lol

when i was much younger, i would fix old school road bikes, use them, and give them away to friends and family.

so at this point in my life, im just stagnating in paintball. im content too. i got my dream marker from when i was a younger, i got all the spyders i ever lusted after, and my kids keep me busy.

[SignOfZeta]

Paintball guns existed for decades before anyone played a formal game with them. The guns are the reason the game exists, not the other way around. Paintball as a game was invented to make use of the guns people loved and wanted to buy even though no game existed yet. Owners of guns invented the game. When it was invented it was glacial two flag multi acre woodsball of the sort nobody does anymore so honestly it was another decade or more even after the first games before “Paintball” as we now know it came about.

The guns themselves are just fun, all by themselves. When I’m 95 in a wheelchair, decades after my last game, I’ll still have some sort of pistol to shoot my medicine bottles off the back fence with, even if my nurse has to cycle it because I’ll probably only weigh 72 lbs at that point.

That being said…if you don’t use the guns once in a while, at least for shooting targets, then you’re basically a guy polishing his every growing ski collection in Hawaii and it’s natural to question ones self in that situation. That’s your IQ kicking in to check your lizard brain. Consider its advice, maybe ignore it. The sanity/insanity of collectardation is different for every situation.

I rarely play more than twice a year. Having a full life makes that pretty much the limit. That’s good though. Anyone my age who’s out there every weekend must be the biggest loser on earth. No kids, no other hobbies, nothing better to do with his money, all the 15 year old regulars laughing at my slow ass behind my back, all going home to nobody with no good stereo to listen to because you spend all your money on paintball crap…that’d be the real hell for me.

[NONOBLITUS]

What a way to insult so many people in one trolling message. It must be a hell to be so full of judgement and negative thoughts towards people who don’t share your views. Paintball players losers , hmmmm why are you here ?

[Havoc]

Your only one earth once you got to do what make you happy if it's playing long distance tag with friends or dungeons and dragons I won't let anyone make me feel bad about what I like to do

[Chuck E Ducky]

[Magageddon]

I've been in paintball almost for 10 years now, next year will be my 10 year anniversary. Although I mostly shoot guns/use gear that's way before my time, I love history and the being able to use these oldschool guns on the field is just enjoyable to me. I love tinkering and making things work, that's what got me into machining and building parts for automags, the gun I'm most passionate about. As far as playing goes, I've noticed I've become more of a front player/get more aggressive as time goes on, I remember being timid and more reserved when I first got into it vs now where I try to be in the action as much as i can. As far as collecting goes, I really don't like paying market for things, I love getting a deal even if it means spending a lot of time fixing a gun up, but if I really want something, I'll pony up the funds.

Honestly the big thing that keeps me in the game/keeps me going is all the friendships/relationships I've made over the years. Paintball is a huge part of my personal life and its definitely filled that void in my life where sometimes I've been feeling low/down, but this game and people in it always cheer me up and remind me that life is good.

[Jordan]

For years, I only had one or two guns. I'd sell one to buy another, or need money and sell something. There was a brief period of time where I only had a Mini... and it was great. It worked every time, it shot great, and I had a blast every time I played.

In the last few years, my interests have shifted, and I find they lie in building and collecting stuff I've always wanted but couldn't afford. That'll likely change - again - and I'm ok with that.

At the end of the day, do what makes you happy. Like a few other posters have mentioned - life is short. Enjoy every minute of it; otherwise, what's the point?

[Meleager7]

after returning to the game in 2018 , my collecting started as "I'll just grab this used 98 custom and go play occasionally" , then into, " I want to find and rebuild my tricked out Tippmann 68-Carbine" which then morphed into " I want one of every gun I lusted after in the late 90's, early 2000s"

My other collecting rule is the markers need to be realistic to use in a game, not just for target shooting or wall hanging....for me that typically just means "can I get a barrel to match todays small paint?"

Based on that rule, I've quickly sold off some guns I thought I wanted for the collection , but realized I would never be able to use in the field ie. A BE Poison, that was too unreliable, an Air Power Apex Elite pump which had an unremovable barrel upper, and the bore size was just too huge, etc , etc.

[Psycho91]

Thanks everyone it's nice to know I'm not the only one in that boat, and yeah Iv been watching what I collect some I may not mind being wall hangers but I like to play with my guns if I cant use them in a game what's the point

[Impactfour]

I like both sides. Being in new England, and not being an air ball guy I spend my spare time in the winter tinkering and the other season playing. Tinkering and building markers is tons of fun, but if you aren't playing with them what's the dang point...

[ChuckLove]

I'm a bit of a collector and tinkerer my self. I also play almost every weekend and have now for 6 years (after a 13yr hiatus). The most rewarding part of paintball for me is building a sniper with the parts that I deem worth and then putting bodies on it next time out. Better yet, winning a tournament with it like we did last weekend!

[Blackmagic71]

I still try and get out about 3-4 times a year. It’s fun to play and it’s fun to collect. Peak satisfaction for me is hitting up a big game with some buddies and shooting one of my Autocockers.

The only reason I don’t do it more is life is busy and I have a handful of other hobbies that I also like to do.