Look at this. Reiner's trying a poll. First time on the blog, so encourage my expansion of my own comfort zone by voting, and hopefully commenting.
Here's the deal. In a hypothetical situation, if recreational paintball fields could somehow provide unlimited amounts of paintballs to their customers, how would this affect participation. Now I say hypothetical, because paintballs cost money, even at the wholesale level, so to provide unlimited paintballs would also mean a field would have a limitless expense on it's hand, so they would have to charge through the nose. So for this hypothetical situation, I'm going to state two criteria that would need to be in affct to set this up.
First, the cost to play would be moderate, about the same per day cost as players spend today. We'll say about $50 for field fees and rentals if needed. Air would be included and all the paintballs a player would want to shoot are included. Whether they want to shoot 100 or 20,000, it wouldn't matter (players can't take any home though).
Second, ALL recreatioanl fields would have to offer unlimited paintballs. So this wouldn't be just one field in a city where the other four fields are charging for extra paintballs as they do now. All five fields would have the same deal. One cost, no limits on paintball use. Players could get a bag or case, use it up and then come get another bag or case, and when those are gone get more. As often and as many as they wanted to.
So how would this affect the industry and participation in paintball. Don't worry about the paintball manufacturers. They are in on the deal and found a way to produce paintballs for free. Like I said, this is a hypothetical situation.
It would be great if you told us why you think the participation would be the way you predict it would in the comment section. Thanks for playing.
Stock Class
6 years ago
Tough poll, as is the debate. I think the immediate reaction would be a big increase in players. The problem would be getting them to return after being pelted with unlimited paint.
ReplyDeleteI know, preaching to the choir...!
I suppose my first question is what are we trying to accomplish by this? More participation? I think there are better ways to accomplish this (see; http://www.catshackreports.com/2010/05/boy-scouts-of-america-meet-paintball/#more-8713). I think the issue with this hypothetical is the quality of the paintballs. it would have to drop in order to flood the market with free paintballs. It also devalues paintballs (nothing is free unless it has that value). How would you manage "they can't take them home with them"? A bag check? Pat them down? It really opens up more issues than what the intent is.
ReplyDeleteMy two cents,
-Steve
SplattDaddy, you are making this way more complicated than is intended.
ReplyDeleteThe poll has nothing to do with trying to accomplish anything. It's just a hypothetical question that readers can speculate on what would hoappen, if the situation presented itself. I am sure it will never happen in reality.
We can assume the paintballs are of good enough quality that people will not complain about them. Whether or not it devalues paintballs or not, is irrelevant. The question is what would it do to participation levels at recreational paintball fields? And everyone is honest and no one takes them home in our hypothetical situation.
A better way to put it would be, what if someone invented a paintball gun that created unlimited free paintballs in the hopper?
ReplyDeleteThe key point is what happens when the cost of shooting one more paintball in rec play is $0.00?
I've played at an indoor reball field where this is actually the case. You pay the entry fee which includes air an unlimited reballs that you can't take home. They have few options for entry 1 hour, 2 hour, 4 hour, all-day. The cost for all-day is about the same as entry + 1 case at a lot of local places.
ReplyDeletewe provide unlimited deals at our venue, the player pays around £50 and gets rental, entry etc and can choose half or full days.
ReplyDeleteWe only refill after each game and this deal is two fold; the customer gets more balls for his money, but because they are restricted to how many a hopper can hold then they are more reluctant to go 'all guns blazing'as they would if they had unlimited pods also.
Back to the poll, money would definately have to be recouped in other areas. which areas? Im not sure