Gel Ball vs Paintball

Unlike paintball, there is no age restriction to play gel ball in Queensland.  However, on our field, players must be 10 years and over.  All players are required to fill in an online waiver and players under the age of 18 will require a parent/guardian to complete their waiver on their behalf.

Gel blasters are a kid-friendly alternative to paintball guns, with enough power to ensure they can make their mark but not get hurt. They’re spring-loaded and battery powered, shooting small, non-toxic, biodegradable water beads called gel balls. While paintball markers are classed as weapons, gel ball markers are classed as toy gun replicas. For the safety of all players, all gel blasters are chronographed and restricted to shoot at a rate of 300fps maximum.

A lot of people who’ve played once or twice end up getting their own blaster and/or other gear. As well as the advantage familiar equipment provides, it’s also cheaper to play! We’re happy for anyone to bring their own blaster and safety gear as long as it complies with safety standards:

• Blasters must shoot less than 300fps
• HPA blasters must shoot less than 250fps and single shot only
• No ultra-hard elite gel balls permitted
• Safety glasses must cover the entire eye, be Australian safety rated and able to withstand a gel ball hit. No mesh eyewear is permitted and regular specs are insufficient.

We adjust the gameplay in these sessions to suit the players involved, so nobody misses out on the fun! Players of all ages, genders, shapes, sizes and abilities are welcome and we’ll do our best to accommodate differing needs.

We use a variety of methods to enhance and change up the Spec Ops battlefield and it gets overhauled frequently. For gel ball games, we can increase or decrease the intensity of the game by cutting the lights for white light combat with torches, pumping surround sound music through the speakers and or blasting smoke from smoke machines for the atmosphere. We’re mindful of the age range of the players involved, and take this into account when tailoring each session.

We do not provide flight suits for gel ball games. Players need to wear enclosed shoes, and we recommend wearing a light, long sleeved shirt and pants and nothing new or particularly precious. Paint is everywhere from our paintball games, no matter how much we clean. Although the paint is water soluble and will come out in the wash, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Flight suits are available for hire if players want to look the part!

We always uphold our rigorous high standards for safety at Spec Ops, including COVID-19 cleaning protocols and equipment santisation. All players receive a safety briefing, and there is always a trained First Aid Officer on site.