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A new beginning ….

Robbo

Owner of this website
Jul 5, 2001
13,114
2,157
448
London
www.p8ntballer.com
P8ntballer.com first appeared our monitors in July 2001 …. ever since then, we've been at the hub of all things paintball.
Our heritage has its roots deeply embedded in the long lamented magazine, PGi, and so we tried to follow the same path and keep ahead of events and meaningful commentary.

However, when social-media platforms such as Facebook presented themselves on the internet, I believe there was a slow descent into the dumbing down our beloved sport.
That descent was both insidious and incremental.
And let's face it, it wasn't just paintball that got dumbed down - I think many interests/sports/hobbies all fell the same way into the abyss of tittle-tattle.

Some of you guys won't remember PGi but it's safe to say that during its publication, it was one of the best hard-copy paintball magazines of its time on both sides of the Atlantic.
If you were anybody in paintball, you needed your paintball fix when not playing and this was provided by PGi.
Unfortunately, hard-copy magazines all folded years ago with the advent of the internet and our sport was reduced to swapping one liners across social media platforms such as Facebook.
As a consequence of that, players and industry alike were deprived of any meaningful commentary or conversation.
There were no longer articles concerning tactics, techniques, industry news and gossip … all the things the likes of PGi thrived upon.

I was lucky though, I had people wrapped around me who wanted p8ntballer.com to thrive and uphold the virtues that PGi lived by as we once did.

Those people were, Jim Montgomery [Dusty], Jon Coleman [Bon], Ledzy [Planet] and Al Woods.
If woodland tournaments can make a comeback then I'm damned sure we can.
I ain’t rich, nowhere frikkin' near it but I knew we had to do something if we wanted to see some sort of renaissance for paintball forums.
And so, here we are, at the Nexus of our new beginning.
It’s been a long time getting here, for sure, and so I hope it’s gonna be worth it.
We are going to try and emulate PGi in terms of content and quality and that means articles focussing on tactics, techniques, industry news, product reviews, good old-fashioned gossip and lots more.
It means I’ve got to do a lot more work but hey, not much comes easy these days.
 
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Robbo

Owner of this website
Jul 5, 2001
13,114
2,157
448
London
www.p8ntballer.com
I forgot to mention something - if any of you guys out there fancy writing on subjects such as techniques, tactics, events etc etc etc, then give me a message and we'll see if we can get something going.
I've asked my brother to write some stuff up on Twizz and James' new woodland league and seeing as my brother is a photographer as well, he's gonna be supplying pics to accompany his article.
My brother plays for the reformed Turks and is loving every minute of his new found love for paintball.
We both started in about 1986 I think and so it just shows you how enduring the love for this sport runs.
I've already got Jim [Dusty], my brother John, and I'll contribute as well but it'll be good to have a few alternatives lined up just in case.

Words and pics are the staple diet of any magazine and so if you can supply those, and they're usable, you could become a household name leastwise in a paintball house.
 
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James ECI

UK Woodland Masters
Jul 31, 2007
2,352
693
148
Kent
I forgot to mention something - if any of you guys out there fancy writing on subjects such as techniques, tactics, events etc etc etc, then give me a message and we'll see if we can get something going.
I've asked my brother to write some stuff up on Twizz & James' new woodland league and seeing as my brother is a photographer as well, he's gonna be supplying pics to accompany his article.
My brother plays for the reformed Turks and is loving every minute of his new found love for paintball.
We both started in about 1986 I think and so it just shows you how enduring the love for this sport runs.
I've already got Jim [Dusty], my brother John, and I'll contribute as well but it'll be good to have a few alternatives lined up just in case.

Words and pics are the staple diet of any magazine and so if you can supply those, and they're usable, you could become a household name leastwise in a paintball house.
Woah woah woah :p not just Twizz's :cool:

Talking about the Turks.... Check out this video from their recent win at the 7 Man :)

 

Robbo

Owner of this website
Jul 5, 2001
13,114
2,157
448
London
www.p8ntballer.com
I gotta say, I haven't missed playing for well over 15 years now but as I watched that video and recognised some old faces, including my brother's of course, I got a twinge to go pick up a marker and shoot the wife from behind the sofa ….. and then I remembered that I've now got L4-L5-L6 vertebrae all fused, and I've just been given a new shoulder, a whole new shoulder.
But then someone reminded me that an old boxer never loses his punch ….. and for one heady second I considered taking Marcus up on his offer ….. and then?
The alarm went off !!
:eek:

PS James, my omission has been sorted - apologies.
 
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James ECI

UK Woodland Masters
Jul 31, 2007
2,352
693
148
Kent
I gotta say, I haven't missed playing for well over 15 years now but as I watched that video and recognised some old faces, including my brother's of course, I got a twinge to go pick up a marker and shoot the wife from behind the sofa ….. and then I remembered that I've now got L4-L5-L6 vertebrae all fused, and I've just been given a new shoulder, a whole new shoulder.
But then someone reminded me that an old boxer never loses his punch ….. and for one heady second I considered taking Marcus up on his offer ….. and then?
The alarm went off !!
:eek:

PS James, my omission has been sorted - apologies.
Even if you dont play - i think its time to come down again - i dont think you've been since the inauguration back in 2013 when i had my leg in plaster.

Even Dave Stewart is there doing our catering
 

Robin Hood

Formerly Jermy
Feb 6, 2002
2,545
30
73
An island in the rain
Got another suggestion for you Robbo. You can upload video to posts now in XF2.1, it's a big reason why Facebook is so popular. But it doesn't look like it's currently enabled.

It could be really useful for troubleshooting vids and the like where people record their issue and post it up for help, or for clips from events etc.

65830
 

pestilence

www.ppemporium.com
Jul 6, 2001
287
6
28
Cambs, England
WWW.PPEMPORIUM.CO.UK
Robbo.

How do :)

PGI is still just as readable now, as it was near 20 years ago. I recently found a stash in the garage. I've read them cover to cover. The articles, the interviews, the gossip (2002 world cup - Jeremy Salm.... fantastic!). 2001 to 2003 were pretty much the golden age. We really, really miss that now.

If you want to emulate that success, then you gotta get the goss state-side! :D

Hope you're well anyways!

Pestibollocks
 
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Robbo

Owner of this website
Jul 5, 2001
13,114
2,157
448
London
www.p8ntballer.com
Pesty - a lot of my paintball friends are Stateside as you know and so I'll see what happens when I rattle a few cages but I have to say, there doesn't seem to be the same environment these days either player-wise or indeed industry-wise.
Things went a bit quiet after tb left our industry but I suppose if I dig deep enough, something might be unearthed :)

It's a curious thing though …… I wonder if there's a link between paintball discussion being played out on the likes of FB, and the apparent dearth of quality gossip.
I can't think of any good reason why but it just seems too coincidental …. hmmm.....:unsure:
 

Missy-Q

300lb of Chocolate Love
Jul 31, 2007
2,527
1,132
198
Harlem, NY
In order for the gossip to be interesting, there has to be emotional investment in the topic of said gossip. That investment comes from knowing the background of the people involved, so that we feel in some part connected and interested.
The people that we used to be interested in, are not there any more. Most have retired. We don't know the new kids very well. There is a lack of the emotional investment that fuels questions, and the 'need to find out' the answers to those questions.
Magazines and forums built the stories, and introduced us to the players that provided said investment, which fueled the gossip.

The first step is to start talking about the teams and players again. Providing educated comparisons between them that can and will be picked apart by the people that refute them. That will get people talking, and that's the seed to any 'forum'.