Jane Doe Plays Paintball

OK, I’m writing this as it may be relatively easy for most people to visualize.

Jane Doe decides to play paintball for the very first time (I use Jane rather than John, because for my example, it will probably be even more easy to visualize, but John may have the same experience). Jane goes to Bill Bob’s Paintball Emporium. She’s never played so she asks Billy Bob how much it’s going to cost and how it all works.

Billy Bob is very helpful and explains to her that her paintball outing is going to cost $50 and will include the use of the field, supplied referees, all the rental equipment she will need and all the paintballs she will need during her outing. Jane says that sounds great.

Billy Bob informs her that the only other decision she needs to make is whether or not she wants to play in the “casual experience” game or whether she wants to play in the “extreme experience” game. Jane asks for clarification. Billy Bob tells her that it is exactly the same thing, including the same price. The only difference is that in the “extreme experience” game, everyone is given three times as many paintballs. That means that not only will Jane be able to shoot three times as many paintballs, but Jane will most likely have three times as many paintballs shot at her.

Jane opts for the “casual experience” game. At the end of the day, when Billy Bob asks Jane if she had fun, Jane tells him that she had a lot of fun and will be back. She had so much fun, next time she is going to try the “extreme experience” version. Billy Bob is happy and Jane leaves with a big smile on her face.

Six months go by and Jane returns to Billy Bob’s Paintball Emporium. This time Jane chooses the “extreme experience” version. Jane finds if much harder to move around and difficult to even stick her head up to get all her paintballs shot. She never does get close enough to a flag to grab it. It was still fun, but not nearly as much as her first paintball outing.

At the end of the day when Billy Bob asks how Jane liked it, she tells him that she didn’t have as much fun as her first outing. Next time she will play the “casual experience” version again. She says it costs the same, but it’s more fun. Billy Bob says he understands and looks forward to seeing her next time.

Will Jane return to play paintball again? Hopefully. But at least Jane has a choice. She can pay the same amount and choose to play in the environment to her liking. How many paintball fields out there provide that choice to their customers? I don’t mean the choice of playing in an all rental game either. I mean playing in a game where she will shoot less paintball and have less paintballs shot at her? If fields are arming their customers with as many cheap paintballs as they feel like purchasing, how does that affect Jane’s paintball experience? Would Jane have come back a second time if she had chosen the “extreme experience” version the first time?