Oscar Laboy, manager of NYC PaintBall and LaserTag in Long Island City, says that as the sport's profile grows, the location is becoming increasingly popular for corporate groups and birthday parties. Photo by Connor Adams Sheets

“High techs,” a man yelled in a darkened Long Island City warehouse on a recent Thursday night, attracting a crowd of advanced marksmen to a makeshift battleground.

After a quick countdown from five came a few rare seconds of silence before the furious staccato sound of semiautomatics shooting 12.5 times a second filled the air.

The shoot-out is a daily occurrence at 47-11 Van Dam St., where NYC PaintBall and LaserTag opened five years ago as the first paintball facility in New York City.

Manager Oscar Laboy said his wife first turned him on to the sport several years ago and that he has enjoyed watching it gain popularity since then.

“Paintball is really big right now. You’ve...

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