OSG Paintball Aims to be Tourism Player

David Preston, owner of OSG Paintball. Photo by Matthew J. Mowry.

The evidence of battle litters the field. Splatters mark every surface of buildings. And David Preston is excited to unleash more mayhem.

Preston, the owner of OSG Paintball (or Outdoor Strategic Games) acquired the business in the backwoods of North Barnstead to earn extra money to buy a car at 15 years old. He says it is now the largest paintball experience in New England. With 10 playing fields, it draws about 15,000 visitors annually, including players from Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Preston laughs as he remembers the early days of OSG in 1992 when he only had some wooded land, a Toyota Land Cruiser and 10 paintball guns. “Ten people on a weekend was a good weekend,” he says, noting that OSG now attracts hundreds of players on any given weekend.

OSG covers 35 acres and offers players a variety of settings, from a wild west town to a castle, a pirate ship and a village based on the popular video game Halo. “It’s a weird thing in paintball, but you have to think outside the box,” says Preston of the pirate ship. “It’s one of our most popular fields.”

Another field has a replica of a helicopter. But all that will soon be outdone by Preston’s latest plan—a Star Wars-themed field with a replica of the AT-AT Walker from “The Empire Strikes Back.” He estimates the field will take about three months to build and hopes to open it in the fall. “To win the game, you have to wrap a rope around the AT-AT’s legs like in the movie while under fire,”
Preston says.

A player takes aim on the various playing fields at OSG Paintball in North Barnstead. Courtesy Photo.

OSG is also one of only two paintball fields in the country to use a real helicopter during a paintball game, Preston says. Once a year, one lucky player gets to ride in a helicopter and shoot at players below. The player is selected through a lottery, with tickets hidden in hundreds of paintball cans that offer a one-in-six chance for the ride.

If all this sounds over the top, that’s because it is. Preston says such tactics have allowed his business to grow revenue 10 to 13 percent annually for the past seven years while the paintball industry has remained stagnant.

He also attributes that growth to aggressive marketing efforts and a robust social media presence. OSG regularly creates videos of players in action and has more than 100,000 views on its YouTube channel. “We’re relentlessly putting out content,” Preston says. When it unveiled its Halo course, Spike TV did a segment about it.

All of this has added up to creating a major tourism draw in a rural community. “I run a business at the end of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere New Hampshire. You have to create a destination so people will come,” Preston says. “I want this to be a staple of New Hampshire tourism. I want to be a New Hampshire main attraction.”

His efforts seem to be paying off. On any given weekend, the field is crowded with players, from 13-year-olds enjoying a birthday party to middle-age executives gunning for one another. Preston says many businesses play at the OSG as a team-building event.

OSG employs 22 people, most of whom are part time and work as referees or guides facilitating games. OSG is also a supporter of the performing arts and arts education, donating about $15,000 annually, Preston says. Asked if he will ever be done building, Preston laughs. “It will never ever be done,” he says. For more information, visit osgpaintball.com.