Paintballs fill the air as Georgia Southern University students and Statesboro residents form teams or fight as individuals at the new paintball arena.

Indoor Paintball Statesboro gives the community a fresh option for fun and competitive entertainment with its new indoor, 40,000 square foot arena.

The paintball arena is owned and operated by Jerry Jennings, a resident of Statesboro. It is about 15 minutes away from campus at the end of the highway 301 bypass (Veterans Memorial Pkwy) inside the Statesboro Flea Market. It is only the second indoor paintball facility to be built in the state of Georgia.

“We are the only indoor paintball area that Georgia has outside of Atlanta, so we want everyone to come and experience what we have to offer,” Jennings said.

The site opened three months ago and has started to generate a small fan base throughout the Statesboro community. Jennings wants to attract more attention from Georgia Southern University students and people from the surrounding areas of Augusta, Brunswick, Hinesville, Savannah and Metter.

Paintball Statesboro uses the Enmey, a semi­-automatic firing paintball gun produced by GoG Paintball. Instead of using actual paintballs as ammo, they use small rubber balls to cut the cost of having to buy paint.

“We use the rubber balls because they are reusable ammo. Paintballs splatter and make a mess. And the animal glue that is used to hold the paint together leaves a bad smell inside the arena that you don’t notice with outside arenas,”Jennings said. “We turn the pressure down on the guns so that it doesn’t hurt when you get shot but you should wear the proper clothing and gear when you are out playing.”

The staff of Paintball Statesboro have multiple games for players to choose from and also allows players to come up with their own styles of play.

“You can play capture the flag, free­-for-­all, team death-match, zombies, or whatever you come up with,”James Fontaine, head referee, said.

In a free­-for-­all or death-match if you get hit by a another player you are eliminated from that round, but in capture the flag or zombie-type matches, players can wait in the re­-spawn area when hit.

Indoor Paintball Statesboro has a steel barrel field, a full Paintball Sports Promotion’s pro field and a two­-story stronghold field. All three of the play area’s floors are covered with astroturf sections cut from the Jacksonville Jaguar’s practice field.

“This is a $300,000 facility, and we still have room to expand,” Jennings said.

Pricing starts at $30 for less than 10 players, $27 for 10­ to 29 players and $25 for 30 players or more. Customers are paying for two hours of play, gun rental, tanks, masks, hoppers, unlimited air and unlimited balls. Groups of ten or more get one free drink as a bonus. Protective vests are also offered upon request.

Indoor Paintball Statesboro is available for birthday parties, private parties, and has corporate pricing available. Walk­-ins are accepted Sunday through Friday from 12 to ­6 p.m.Saturday parties must be reserved in advance.