Editing WARPIG (section)

== History ==

=== Origins in rec.sport.paintball ===

WARPIG originated during the early development of internet communication within the paintball community.

Before the widespread adoption of the World Wide Web, paintball players exchanged information through electronic bulletin boards, mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups.

One of the principal discussion communities was '''rec.sport.paintball'''.

The newsgroup provided a forum for discussions of equipment, tournament results, paintball fields, safety and industry developments.

In 1992, Steve Mitchell began collecting paintball information from the newsgroup and making it available through an FTP server.[1]

The material included news, articles and photographs contributed by members of the paintball community.

Among the early contributors were Bill and Dawn Mills.

=== Development of the website ===

In 1994, Mitchell transferred the paintball information collection to a World Wide Web server.

The server was associated with California State University, Fresno.

Its original address was:

http://warpig.cati.csufresno.edu/

The website became known as '''WARPIG'''.

A historical account identifies the site as one of the earliest dedicated paintball websites.[1]

The precise ranking among early paintball websites is difficult to establish independently, but WARPIG was clearly operating during the first years of widespread public web adoption.

=== Origin of the name ===

The name WARPIG originated from the hostname of the server on which the website was hosted.

According to a historical account, Dawn Mills subsequently developed the expanded name:

'''World And Regional Paintball Information Guide'''

The acronym was therefore created retrospectively rather than serving as the original basis for the server name.[1]

The WARPIG name became widely recognised within the paintball community.

=== Bill and Dawn Mills ===

After Steve Mitchell left his position, responsibility for WARPIG passed to Bill and Dawn Mills.

They developed the website into a dedicated paintball information service.

Bill Mills became particularly associated with technical writing, interviews, tournament reporting and industry news.

Dawn Mills contributed photography, reporting and other editorial work.

The pair travelled extensively to paintball events.

Their work established WARPIG as an important source of contemporary tournament coverage.

=== Commercial hosting ===

WARPIG eventually moved from its original university-associated server to commercial hosting.

The move allowed the website to develop under the WARPIG.com domain.

A historical account identifies Randy Kamiya and Rene Boucher among industry figures who helped support the transition.[1]

Kamiya was associated with Action Pursuit Games and Paintball Industry Magazine.

Boucher was associated with Paintball News.

Their involvement illustrates the relationship between traditional paintball publishing and the emerging internet media environment.