Question on siding

[bison23]

So I'm going to start building a simulator soon. I have, roughly, a 11.5' foot room so i'll be a little offset from center. I plan to have an impact screen that spans the length and height of the room. What's the cheapest way to safely pad the walls in case of a shank especially on the right side since players will be closer to that side? Is plywood good enough or would I need some sort of padding?

I'm basically looking at safety first, then cost, then aesthetics. Thanks for any help in advance!

[mthunt]

plywood will protect the walls but be ugly. You can crown staple carpet to the plywood.