Paintball is a sport when you get to shoot at your opponents without fear of going to jail or being executed. No one dies; they just get splashed with colorful paint. It is a warlike activity where the players shoot at their opponents with paint-filled pellets, ejected from a compressed air-gun. It is catching up fast among the professionals, semi-pros as well as the amateurs. Companies organize mini-paintball events as part of their team building or tactical strategy training. The game is also a test of character, identifying leaders and followers, supporters and saboteurs. Some people employ this as an exercise to relieve stress as well as a recreational activity.

The games can be conducted indoor, outdoors or a combination of both; however it is more fun playing in natural terrain with trees and bushes or on a paintball field, which is an area covered with large inflatable pyramids, cones and other shapes. Rules and regulations vary, but the few common variations include the capture of the opponent's flag, elimination of all opponents or last man standing and the King of the Hill, where you take over the enemy’s stronghold or ‘castle’.

Awards given for paintball vary, depending on the professional and the semi-pros who have their clubs and teams. The professional paintball leagues have their tournaments annually. The largest tournament is the Paintball World Cup, a yearly event in which top teams from US, Europe and Asia compete. The 2008 World Cup was won by Ironmen from Los Angeles, US. Other awards given for paintball on the professional level includes the Professional Paintball Commander's Cup and other league awards. Individual awards given for paintball are conferred to outstanding players, such as Oliver Lang, who was ranked best player in 2005, Top 200 Greatest Players of All Time and Best International Player.

For the semi pros and amateurs who have their own paintball clubs and teams, awards given for paintball are for team and individual achievement. The awards for team are the Most Valuable Team, Team Sportmanship or…Expeditionary forces. In some clubs, each scenario or challenge of the paintball event is given a specific name. In overcoming the challenge, the team or individual is awarded for that achievement. One of the most interesting awards given for paintball is the Scarlet Purple-Nickel, from the Marauders. An equivalent to the Purple Heart, this award is given in recognition of real wounds sustained in paintball; that is, you are hit by a pellet that causes injury and bleeding. The challenges are named uniquely; awards are presented for Night Combat, Most Feared Opponent, Most Valuable Sportsman amongst others.

Awards given for paintball come in various forms such as trophies, figurines, plaques, ribbons, medals, medallions or certificates. The details of the achievement and event or challenge are embossed or engraved on the award itself. In professional paintball tournaments cash is included in the awards given for paintball top qualifiers. In the Paintball World Cup tournament, besides the prestigious cup, the award also includes cash of more than $100,000. For the Professional Paintball’s Commander tournament, the award given for paintball winners amounts to more than $80,000.