Paint Ball

Reading and replying about games that are fun to play in our leisure time, but just don't seem like a good idea to take professionally. On this topic I feel paintball should be included. I have enjoyed going out with a group of friends and playing paintball. Granted I came home with some nasty bruises, scrapes and bruises; but we did enjoy ourselves and have some bonding time. Paintball has become a professional sport to some people. The website http://www.nppl.com/ will help someone be introduced into the sport paintball. There are other sites as well. There are those who spend their weekends practicing and playing in tournaments around there area and traveling to the nationals which was held in Las Vegas this past year. There is the time aspect of the game, but there is also the cost associated with buying the equipment, registration fees, and travel expenses. A person can buy a paintball gun at their local sporting goods store, such as Wal-Mart; or the person can spend some money and get a high powered one from a paint ball store. These high end guns are no laughing matter, the tanks can cost around $185, the guns in the $600s, paint balls, hoppers, and the list goes on. So what makes seemingly normal friends and family want to take a leisure activity to this extreme?  Years ago there were two different paintball fields in the Stillwater area and at least two different paintball shops. If there seems to be a desire for people to play paintball to this extreme, why are there not more places to play?