The Slow And Unfortunate Death Spiral Of Stock-Class Paintball

[Slim]

If you play stock-class, then you probably know me. And if you know me, you know that boosting attendance at my events has been a priority since I started organizing these things. My goal has always been to have over 100 stock-class players on the field at the same time. When I first started playing, having over 100 players on the field was just another weekend. And it was a fucking blast! Going up against that many players with stock-class equipment on one field was an amazing experience and this is why I've always strived to break that 100+ player goal.

While the Spring Stock Classic and Stocktoberfest remain the longest running and largest traditional stock-class events on the planet, attendance has been going down over the past several years. The past 2 years especially. Obviously, every hobby, group or community will have attrition. That's expected. Unfortunately with stock-class, when a long-time player "ages out", transitions over to a new hobby or stops participating for whatever reason, there isn't a steady influx of new players to take their place. For every 10 stock-class players that stop participating, maybe we'll get 1 new one. Maybe, if we're lucky.

One of the biggest reasons new players aren't entering into the format is because we have no industry support. Like zero. No manufacturer is producing SC markers, parts or soft goods anymore. When CCI sold their remaining inventory to EV, that was it. We all hoped EV would continue to carry on the tradition of CCI, but the Phantom line was never a priority for them because the demand was never there. Without any industry support, we've all been relying on hobbyists with 3D printers, and rehabbing old, used markers to keep the format alive. No demand = no supply. No supply = no new players. No new players = the death of the format.

Beyond all this, the economy has had a massive negative impact on the stock-class "regulars". The cost of entry fees, gas, tolls, paint, food, lodging and travel are all considerations that were far less of a concern 5 or 6 years ago. With no economic relief in sight, it doesn't seem to matter that stock-class is by far the most affordable format within the sport of paintball.

We're in a tough spot here kids. Stock-class has ALWAYS been on life support. Even back in the day. But at least we had limited industry support then. The economy is just accelerating our troubles now.

Stock-class paintball has been my passion since the early 1990s. I've invested countless hours in promoting the format and doing everything possible to organize the most enjoyable events possible. Unfortunately, my efforts, and the efforts of a handful of other organizers, aren't going to be enough to keep this train going. We may be able to keep these events going for another year or two, but after that...? All I know is we need some help here because we can't possibly do it alone.

We've got rental markers and equipment. We've got loaner guns. We've got empty 10-round tubes and 12-grams. for sale. We've got multiple social media platforms and a dedicated website to drive awareness and promote SC events. But we need new players and we need your help.

While I get the whole "I hate Facebook/social media" attitude, hiding out here in our little MCB bubble is not helping to boost attendance at events or generate any interest in the format. Sadly, too many people transitioned over to social media after MCB was hacked and never returned, We need the experienced MCB voices over on mainstream social media to add new content, share their passion and show mainstream players just how awesome stock-class is. Yeah, I know a lot of you are going to say "fuck social media!", but social media is the ONLY thing keeping stock-class relevant outside of MCB right now.

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And before we get a bunch of people saying that the only way to save stock-class is by allowing CA tanks, vertical stick feeds and/or hoppers in order to help "transition" mainstream players into the format, I want to remind everyone of a few facts...

1. I wouldn't be posting this if it weren't for the total lack of industry support and ongoing economic woes.
2. Once CA tanks, vertical stick feeds and/or hoppers are allowed, then it's no longer a traditional "stock-class" event.
3. Markers with CA tanks, vertical stick feeds and/or hoppers provide players with higher rate-of-fire/higher capacity markers. This puts players with traditional SC markers in the same game at a massive disadvantage and creates an unbalance in game play.
4. Stock-class paintball embraces the original spirit of the game. History has proven that higher rate-of-fire/higher capacity markers can promote hyper-aggressive behavior which runs contrary to the values and behavior of your average stock-class player.
5. A key component of traditional stock-class play is to limit (or handicap) yourself in order maximize the challenge and become a better player. This includes the hassle of swapping 12-grams and "rocking & cocking".

Stock-class is more than just the configuration of the equipment. It's also a mindset that embraces skill, honor and sportsmanship. Ultimately, diluting the traditional format with modified equipment will not only offset the balance in game play, but can potentially compromise the original spirit of the game. This isn't an option for anyone who enjoys participating in traditional stock-class events.

I'd also like to add that in over 20 years of organizing traditional SC events, I've NEVER had to use any "transitional" gimmicks like allowing CA tanks, vertical stick feeds and/or hoppers in order to hold well-attended events.

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If you're a stock-class player who wants to keep enjoying traditional stock-class events, then ya gotta do whatever you can to introduce new players to the format.

• Talk up stock-class at your local fields and show off your SC markers
• Loan out your SC markers to those who haven't tried it yet
• Bring your mainstream player friends with you to SC events
• Get on social media, join the SC groups and post your SC videos and content
• Share existing SC content on different social media platforms

Every little bit is going to help here. The hard reality is that if the attendance numbers keep dropping, then it simply won't be worth all the effort to organize these events. I'm not speaking about just my events here. I'm talking about any organizer of any event in any hobby.

I'm not trying to be dramatic or sound like an alarmist here, but this is the reality of where we are right now.

The paintball is in your court now.

[Slim]

I forgot to add... If you want to help keep traditional stock-class events alive - then ATTEND THEM!!!!

[Tippster]

I'm looking forward to making some of your events!!! I wish more people would get into stock class, I've had a blast playing pump days in general. I feel like after the initial cost of a stock class market it pays for itself with how little paint you go through!

[JohnB]

While playing stock class with other stock class players is awesome, most inexpensive way to play, and a good challenge; there are just so few stock class players. In AZ we have one guy that hosts stock class events a few times a year and it ranges from 10-40 people. While every other weekend regular style play sees hundreds of players. It is more expensive to maintain a regular set up and stock set up and most people don’t want to limit themselves to just a stock class setup.

I wish I could make it out the game, those look fantastic, but wrong side of the country for me.

You are doing great work, keep it up, but as you mentioned it is a big uphill climb. Best of luck!

[Handy]

That guy is a real bum and needs to host another one of those. You should get some of your teammates to gang up on him.

[JohnB]

Handy!!! Hope all is well man. Yes, sir! I plan on inquiring when it cools down some, but should probably start bugging “him” now.

[shooter311]

Maybe worth mentioning there is still one company making true stock class markers. Unfortunately, that company is Arrow Precision. They are notoriously near impossible to order from, they don't have any U.S. vendors, but at least their markers can be ordered from Paintballshop.com still. So at least there is that.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Introducing new players to the format’s biggest issue is the steep learning curve. I don’t think there is anything you can do to change that.

Players today transition to these formats for the challenge. Often after they master the basics. Unlike traditionally when Stock Class was just “Paintball”.

Putting a new player on field over saturated with seasoned veterans of the format isn’t the formula that is going to “Save Stock Class”.

Stock Class should focus on the fun and not the attendance numbers. Yeah it’s a lot of the same people attending these events but for me that’s what I go for the people. I don’t think it will ever come to this but I can have just as much fun chilling and grilling in the backyard playing with friends. I don’t feel the need to promote anything. If it’s fun the game will promote itself. I don’t think it’s that serious and I certainly don’t think it needs to change to open class stick feeds to stick around.

[Riot]

I’m literally going to quit because I’m sick of getting gogged by you.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Less Malört, More Play.. Get Good Nerd

[trashcollector]

I have owned a SC Phantom since 2013 and I have used it less than 5 times. Once in a pump tournament.
I’d love to play a true stock class format. Open class isn’t my thing. I’ll see what I can do to make it up there for Stocktoberfest.
I thought I was alone in wanting to play in an SC format. Down south, maybe I am.

[PumpMan10988]

I agree hoppers and CA tanks are not in the spirit of stock class. However I think for stock class games, the horizontal feed only rules should be relaxed. If you aren't allowed to auto-trigger, then I find it hard to believe angled/spring feeds make that big of a difference.

"One of the biggest reasons new players aren't entering into the format is because we have no industry support. Like zero."

The gear problem is only partly true. New pumps from Azodin, Nova, Meteor. Pump kits from Inception, Nova, Slice/ACparts.10 round tubes are still on ANS gear. PBDNA makes a variety of stick feeds and adapters. TopStitch/PBMafia still lists soft goods for sale (Joyride, etc). 12 gram changers might be the most difficult to find new (although there is one on ANS).

Even if the gear rules are adjusted, there's another barrier with the fun factor. New players are already a hard sell on paintball in general. Asking them to play a format where you shoot less, reload constantly, and deal with specific gear requirements doesn't make it easier, regardless of how available the markers and equipment are. It's also a lot harder to get eliminations with stock class gear (even if they are more rewarding as a result), so new players will struggle to succeed.

"Ultimately, diluting the traditional format with modified equipment will not only offset the balance in game play, but can potentially compromise the original spirit of the game. This isn't an option for anyone who enjoys participating in traditional stock-class events."

"I've NEVER had to use any "transitional" gimmicks like allowing CA tanks, vertical stick feeds and/or hoppers in order to hold well-attended events."

Yet attendance is down, maybe it's time to change?

As a stock class and pump enthusiast, I feel your pain. No one at my local field plays stock class, and I've only seen a few pumps on rare occasions. I believe in the core argument for stock class play 100%: limited paint/ROF makes the game more friendly, fun, and less intimidating. I just don't think stock class is a sustainable format for future generations. I think the bigger reason stock class players are ageing out is because new players are not nostalgic for the style of play. I think if you want more attendance, then some kind of compromise is in order. It seems that stock class just isn't a popular idea, so I am hesitant to believe that more social media posts will turn that around. Perhaps putting more emphasis on what is easily accessible: limited paint, might be a more productive use of energy.

There's a format called "Birthday Ball" (I'm pretty sure at least, I could be paraphrasing) where any setup is allowed, but each players only starts with 10 paintballs, with a few reloads left around the field at the start of each game. Something like this lets anyone at any field with any gear get their toes wet with the limited paint playstyle. More accessibility eases the barrier of entry. Something like this might be a more realistic way to get people playing the way us old farts prefer, even if it means CA tanks and hoppers.

[Cross-Country]

As a fellow Michigander, getting anyone in this state to touch anything even just fully mechanical is like pulling teeth.

[ClockworkSoldier]

Cross-Country I've been doing my damndest to get as many people as possible interested in pump, at Capital City Paintball (formerly Chaos/TC Lansing), and already have a couple guys looking to buy some.

[Cross-Country]

Sweet! I'll need to get up there, I'm near Jackson. I did some one on ones with an employee of my local field a few Sundays ago because the team that was there for morning practice refused to play with rec ballers, and he fell in love with the pump marker he was loaned by the field. It just takes once for people to expand their horizons. I have to get up there and try TC. It looks like a cool field.

[RAZRBAKK]

I appreciate where your heart is, Slim, but I don't think we can expect stock class to grow in any meaningful way. My uncle has an old Studebaker that he spends more time driving hundreds, sometimes thousands of kilometres to buy parts for than he does actually driving the car itself. It's a dying hobby, and he's going to be one of the last to do it.

I think you just have to accept that it will eventually go away. Paintball as a whole has been on the decline for a long time. An ultra-niche format will always have a limited number of players. In Southern Ontario we were lucky to get 15-20 people to drive 2-3 hours somewhere to play pump let alone stock class.

As for social media, my distrust of a centralized platform run by a tech oligarch is not an "attitude", it's a principle.

[Cdn_Cuda]

I agree with a lot of what PumpMan10988 says. I'm wondering as an option if you could run special purist stock class game as part of the bigger event like how some places run pistol games etc. Turn it into a bit of a showcase game and sell it to guys already playing pump etc and that might get more people in the mix. Once the numbers are up then you can return to more of a pure stock class experience.

I regret not getting to play a round of Birthday ball with a group I was playing with. Will definitely try it next time I have a group out though as it sounds like a great format.

[Ecapnation]

This isn't about stock class... Paintball in general is in a death spiral. It was hurting before the economy tanked. But now, I don't see it coming back like it did after 2008.

Its too expensive for newbies and too wrongly catered too by the industry to support the common player.

Fields are closing, paint is terrible, and everything is boutique and hype driven now.

We're not a sport. We are a trend. Armed labubus.

[Cross-Country]

Before I was banned from Reddit, I used to regularly say on the paintball sub that limited paint formats are the only way paintball is going to survive. The industry is only interested in tournament ballers, and they're terminally out of touch with the actual market. There needs to be intensified focus on rec ball again. Paintball experienced explosive growth because it fulfilled the promise of playing gun tag with your friends. It's just a hobby, and needs to be treated as such again.

[JohnB]

The tourney ball is the biggest hurdle for the industry imo. It looks engaging, they sell a bunch of paint and gear, and seems like that would be the path from 10,000 feet up.

I have seen way too many people spend 1-3$k on gear go out and try to play either not get spins as they aren’t on a team or go on pick up days and get absolutely sh!t on by “d5” mafia, shot a bunch point blank, talked smack too while it happens; only to walk off the field in disbelief, hop in their car to never be seen again. It’s amazing. Then the d5 player says they were being a wuss and starting smack and they feel justified for some reason.

It doesn’t grow the sport except for a few that want to duke it out or like the intensity.

[Cross-Country]

The players who are the biggest blowhards are always the guys who are in the lowest divisions. Guys who have gone somewhere don't act like that anymore, because they've been humbled. It's incredible how destructive D5 people are to this game as a whole. The last time I was at my field, a D5 team walked off the field before I got there because a ref tried to put another rec baller on there with them. One guy. They all thought he was beneath them, so they packed their shit and left. So freaking lame. We rec ballers need to communicate with each other more and make sure we're the majority at fields on open play days. Keep it fun and not a job that doesn't even pay these blowhards.

[Chuck E Ducky]

We have (3) Two Day True Stock Class events a year in the North East that draw plenty of players from long distances to play. I think focusing on the fun aspect is way more important than the total number of players on a given day.

I’m really excited to play some stock class speedball under the black lights this fall. We should get some footage I bet it will be entertaining to watch.

[BLachance75]

I’ve told you this before but I think the way to get more players is to modify the rules. Allow CA tanks even if it is only on Saturday. Just because you allow them doesn’t mean that everyone will use them. Plenty of us will still use 12 grams and new players will see it. Maybe next year they will come back and use a bucket changer.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Honestly I don’t think it will really hurt anything if a new player wanted to use an HPA bottle to try stick fed the format. If that is what is stopping someone from trying the game I say go for it get em on the field.

[iamthelazerviking]

Cousins in Virginia have Pump Fest games 3-4 times per year. Usually a good turn out for these and a mix of stock class and open. They've been allowing camping, and past events tried doing stock class only games the night before the event. Not sure how those went, wasn't there sadly but a great effort. The manager had told me he wants to compete with the other east coast pump events, hopefully we'll get there and involve more stock class

[Ecapnation]

They tried to do that at long Island cousins....

Abject failure. Maybe ten guys.

And that was after lending three guys guns

[Chuck E Ducky]

Biggest issue for me with Long Island is the drive. I hate traffic, aggressive drivers, and the road conditions are terrible.

[flyweightnate]

Geography is a big part of the issue. Hard to drive 10+ hours or fly for paintball in the middle of the school year, when the kids take so much time. Is it more than I spend on a nice marker? Maybe not. But it's a little harder to sneak through.

I love stock class. It's a great outlaw format with less infrastructure and less cost. Relaxing the rules for newbies - hopperball with a 12g or stock feed with a 13ci - can streamline entry for casual play. But it's niche.

I think the event of Gel Blasters and airsoft can either feed paintball, or starve it. It can help bring people in, but those people need a reason to go out to the woods to play paintball instead of shooting gellets across their house or lawn. We need to know why it's better and feed that market. Personally, I think the uniquely paintball marker builds are pretty cool, something very "hotrod" about it versus electronic pellet flingers. Well, except the modern spoolies.

I think it's destined to be a rural sport, and probably best linked to similar hobbies - camping, RVing, eating barbecue, drinking, hiking, whatever. Living in a city with three gremlins fighting for every moment of my time and the cost of living increasing daily... I honestly wonder if the sport will survive until I'm able to get back to playing regularly.

But hey, in the meantime, I'll do what I can to help. Might be worth developing a co-op network of small manufacturers so we can market together and even cross-stock, but don't step on each other's toes on product development. But with the way the industry at large went, I half expect that to become a nightmare too.