SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A group of paintball enthusiasts from Yellowknife gathers each Sunday at the sand pits for a weekly set of games.

Nick Donovan, head of Yk Paintball, started the group last summer. He said those who come out and play take it very seriously.

"There are a lot of guys out here who wear camouflage," he said. "Some are more intense than others. My wife is in the military and just came back from basic training and she told me she wants to play, so we get just about anyone from all walks of life and we have a hoot."

Body suits are worn for protection as fired paintballs can travel upwards of 300 feet per second. The firearms used are powered by carbon dioxide canisters, which force the paintballs out of the magazine. A standard magazine can hold up to 250 balls, which don't last very long if you're in a firefight.

Jared Jenkins, one of the regular players, said if you do run out, you have the chance to "re-spawn," or fill up and get back out onto the field.

"It all depends on what you're doing," he said. "If you're cover fire, it usually doesn't last. If you're flank, you may only use half."

There are several games players can play. The big game on this day was Triple Threat, a game which has three ways to win, Donovan said.

"There are flags at each base, red and blue, and a double flag up at the castle," he said.

"You can win by eliminating everyone on the opposing team, which is probably the hardest way to do it. Another way is to capture the flag at the opposite base, or you can hold the castle for five minutes consecutively."

Once a team's flag is raised at the base, they can leave it and hope no one switches it or it can be guarded. Donovan said there have been instances where a team has lost possession of the castle near the end of the five minutes.

"We've had some guys that have been up there with 10 seconds left and the flag has been flipped over," he said.

With all the ammunition spent by the players, one would think there would be a big mess to clean up, but that's not the case. Donovan said everything is environmentally friendly.

"The contents of a paintball is made up of vegetable oil and food colouring," he said. "It's biodegradable and it washes out and it's usually no problem."

Paintball can be an expensive hobby and it's even tougher when you have to buy everything yourself, Jenkins said.

"My gun was $250 and my barrel was $120," he said. "It can get pretty expensive."

Cost aside, Donovan said people do it because they love it.

"If you love it, you get more enjoyment out of it," he said. "We do our best to keep everything and everybody safe. We have no tolerance for anything that breaks the rules and if people decide they want to do anything unsafe, they won't last long.