Apparently, yes. Kids paintball days are all the rage with those in the know – and who can blame them? What better way to burn off al that terrifying excess energy than suiting the lot of them up and letting them charge around some woods with fake guns? No more tantrums, no more “seen it all before” know-alls – just good clean athletic fun and a bunch of exhausted 10-16 year olds at the end of it all.
A kids paintball party is a carefully run thing. Generally, children are only allowed to attend a paintball event in groups of similar ages – 10-13 or 14-16. That allows for the sometimes dramatic difference in size and strength between an older and younger child: a difference that can drastically reduce the enjoyment of the game. Every child will be issued with the kind of protective suit that looks like it could stop a bus: body plating, hi-tech goggles and masks, plus padded jacketing and an extra soft neck protector. The adults supervising a kids paintball party will be highly trained event operators, fully qualified in first aid, who are well used to managing groups of excitable children.
The itinerary of a kids paintball bash will be exactingly planned, designed to deliver maximum entertainment across a full range of planned games. Before they’re let anywhere near actual shooting, the children must attend briefings, training and target practice – more bolsters in the health and safety arsenal. No child who looks as though he or she is likely to be a danger, to his or her self or others, will be allowed onto the game courses.
Once the attendees of a kids paintball party have been kitted up, trained and tested: it’s time for the games to begin! Typically, a children’s paintball do will involve a series of short games, giving them a chance to play in all sorts of environments, and according to different rules or objectives. Kids paintball isn’t really about the kind of super-serious war simulation the adult version of the game can become, after all. It’s supposed to be fun, tiring and memorable. Playing multiple short games with differently styled objectives is a sure way to level the playing field – a child that doesn’t win in one type of game has a better chance of winning in a scenario played for different skills. That means no-one has to lose all the time – another reason why the kids paintball party is a superb way to avoid birthday tantrums.