Las Vegas NowWorld Paintball Championships Playing in Las Vegas

World Paintball Championships Playing in Las Vegas

The sluggish economy isn't deterring paintball enthusiasts. They've come to Las Vegas from across the country for their annual world championships.

These aren't just the weekend warriors of paintball. This is the best of the best playing in Las Vegas.

Relatively new as a sport, paintball has been around for less than three decades. But in that short amount of time, it has grown in popularity. It's fun, relatively inexpensive, and you don't have to be a world class athlete to be among the best in the world with paint pellets.

It has some early roots in the 1970's. Legend has it the first paintball game was played in 1981 without protective gear. It really exploded in the mid 1990's as an activity for all ages.

There are four divisions in the U.S. Paintball League Championships, with 100-teams competing. The festivities at the convention center run through Sunday and it's open to spectators. Instructional clinics available all weekend long.