John Tankersley, owner of Tank’s Paintball in Richmond, used to pay to play paintball at the facility he now owns.

Tankersley said he was an avid paintball player when he was younger, and he loved the game so much, he decided to go into the paintball business. So he opened a paintball facility in Katy in the mid-2000s. Tankersley said he let go of that and bought the Richmond facility in 2012.

“I started playing paintball just to get out and have some fun,” he said.

Tankersley said he became an avid paintball player in his mid-20s. He played paintball for the first time at a friend’s birthday party, and he was instantly hooked, he said.

He and a few friends began playing every weekend. Tankersley said he and his friends would drive two hours every Sunday morning to what at the time was one of the only paintball facilities in the Greater Houston area.

“We’d play all day,” he said. “The only Sunday we missed was on Christmas.”

At the time, he was working as a manager in the restaurant industry. Tankersley said he found paintball to be a great way to blow off steam after a week of headaches from dealing with angry customers and lunch rushes.

“It’s a great stress reliever,” he said.

Tankersley bought the paintball facility in 2011. He refurbished the grounds and facilities, replacing the roof on the main building where players check in. He also began selling paintball equipment.

At Tank’s, games are organized with players being put onto teams according to their skill levels. Games take place on 11 different fields, over 43 acres, and are coordinated by referees. Games last about 15 minutes, he said.   

Tankersley said he is planning to add floodlights to the grounds so guests can play at night. He also said he will extend the facility’s weekend hours after the lights are installed in early July.

Tank’s Paintball

281-342-5885 www.tankspaintball.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. groups by appointment; Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.