Why do you play Airsoft?

[Jon The Student]

Airsoft, is essentially, dressing up and mimicking soldiers, and engaging each other with toy guns. You can elaborate on that statement, and make it sound masculine, or bad ass, or whatever, but essentially, and the heart of it, that is what the activity we know as "airsoft" to be. Airsoft is by no stretch of the imagination cheap, easy to get into, immediately satisfying, or friendly as other hobbies/recreational activities (ie video games or sports), and throw in the fact there is another hobby that accomplishes the same goal (paintball), airsoft is a pretty damn niche activity if you ask me. The learning/initiation curve is rather steep in comparison, it is regularly frustrating and expensive, and filled with people who do not call hits. But yet, you will pour hundreds of dollars into this activity. All I ask, is why? You might wonder why I give a rats ass about why you play airsoft, but in a different light, it shows what kind of player you are, and allows me and everyone else to get a better grip on who you are as a player.

Example
I personally play airsoft because it was convenient at the time, was pretty damn cool, throw in prior interest in the Infantry section of the military, and I was sold to buy my first legit gun. (A KWA KM16 2GX which turned out to be a lemon because the piston exploded, I got videos of it if your interested) After a playing awhile, what set airsoft apart from paintball and kept me in was the longer range in which engagements could play out, the lack of paint staining uniforms making camouflage actually viable, and simply the caliber and mentality of airsoft players are *typically* (I use that term lightly, there are A LOT of exceptions) more objective oriented, and willing to express a bit more patience, opening a wider array of tactical options to be pursued, where as a typical paintball player would say "*Insert Profanity that starts with a F* IT, LETS RUSH DEM BITCHES!"

Foreword
Pardon me if I am remaking a thread, I searched the forums, but did not find one related to this.

[Hotspur93]

I play airsoft for several reasons that im hoping some people might be able to relate to. For starters I love to play FPS (first person shooter) games on the xbox and PC. When i discovered airsoft i found a way to take my energy for a good FPS to the next level and bring it to life. I get to play out any various number of tactical situations that range for a COD style run and gun to well thought out plans to complete an objective. Secondly its a great way to get exercise and to stay active. I get to go from sitting on my bum all day staring at a TV to running around and getting exercise while having a blast. And third the whole idea of airsoft intrigues me. Even at its base level of dressing like army men and shooting eachother with lil plastic bb's sounds fun to me. And not only what the sport is that interests me but the way that it is carried out. I love to work on my airsoft guns and see all the little parts that work together and make this sport possible. I think one of my favorite things about airsoft is working on my guns and getting to take them to field and see them run like a dream. Well that's my take in a nut shell I'm sure other people have their own opinions and im curious to see them

[Avenger]

In a word, realism. The uniforms are realistic(compared to paintball rainbow ninja outfits), the guns(compared to the sci-fi blasters of paintball)

Plus, and this may be seen as creepy/weird, but I love combat. Wrestling with friends, airsoft, FPS on XBox, etc.

Finally, I love guns. I have always been fascinated by them. I own 3 real hunting guns(A Remington 700, Remington 870, and Marlin Glenfield .22). However, it isn'treally possible for me to own an M4, AK, M14, G36, etc. Airsoft is a way for me to experience handling, and, to an extent, firing weapons.

[Star_folder]

Why do I play airsoft? Because my friends do.

I originally got into the sport because of Semlohwerd, he had some guns, I shot them, it was cool. I found out that other people started playing it, and it became more fun, the more friends I had to play with. It eventually evolved into a safer game as I grew up and realized that shooting around cars is a bad idea. But I still go out and play to play with friends.

I also enjoy testing myself, and testing my abilities. The most enjoyment I get out of the sport is from my own guns. Regardless of how my kills, if we win or lose, or if I play down right terribly all day, if my gun performs as I think it should, it will have been a great day for me. The more issues I have with my gun, the less fun I have during the day. There have been days where I've racked the kills, played really well, but been through several weapons. By the end of the day, I feel defeated, and almost disgusted with myself for having my guns screw up so badly. But on the very few days where my guns perform as they should, or, as I feel they should, I have a lot more fun.

Now that I think about it, seeing other people, and experiencing new environments is the reason I show up to games. If it weren't for that, I'd just sit in my room, working on guns all day. I truly enjoy finding the little secrets of airsoft guns. Figuring out new and interesting methods to make bbs fly further, or more accurately. Ways to push that power level, ways to squeeze that little extra fps out of a spring, ways to make a gun fire smoother, and more efficiently. I'm a chairsofter at heart, I enjoy the mechanical aspect of the game more than actually playing it.

[atl]

it's very military like and I don't have to be 18 to join like the army and the risk of dieing is lot smaller too.

[SteevoLS]

I play for 3 reasons, and these alone.

1. Friends (Traveling to out of state games, meeting new people, comradery with teammates, etc)
2. Mechanical interests (Oh, gearboxes, how thou doth torment me)
3. Dressup

[Avenger]

Soooo Am I the only one who enjoys the combat aspect?


Quite an interesting thread BTW.

[Chippy]

I play because I like to see how my own work on my hop up compares to Kory's, some of my friends play, I like to wear my vegetata, and because I have been playing airsoft since I was in 4rth grade...a different form of it, of course.

[Skywalker]

I play airsoft for the rush of getting that one shot where you take somebody else out and they have no idea what just happened.

...airsoft is as realistic you can get to that without breaking the law (murder) or risking your life (military)

Also, I don't have perfect vision so I couldn't be a military sniper anyway.

On a not-trying-to-sound-like-a-lame-badass note.... I'm also a technical person thus gearboxes. And I like being outside.

[PRincess]

I play and participate in the airsoft community as a stress reliever... I proudly wear the US Army uniform whether I am deployed or on drill status with the Guard so I already play dress up there. I love the mechanical aspect of the guns and always try to think up ways of bettering my weapons. Also, I have made some pretty good friends because of airsoft and will continue to do so.

[Diesel]

I started playing as way to do things with my oldest son. He doesn't play that much now, but I enjoy it. This is a good way to get rid of the frustrations I deal with on a daily basis. It has also become a source of doing things for the good. I have had the opportunity to be OPFOR for LE and looking to be OPFOR for a few other military events. Being a Marine, I paid the price to play "dress up".

[VoidSuicide]

I started playing because I thought it was cool, although, it's not why I'm still playing.

I'm still playing because to start with, it gives me the ability to feel like a soldier without joining the army. I respect our soldiers for everything they do, but it's just not in me to join the army if I don't have to. So it let's me get some of those things out of my system, like the enjoyment of giving and following orders, and trying to defend against an enemy force.

Second, there's the adrenaline rush. Everything from slipping past a patrol 10 feet away as they engage someone else, to trying to get in position for that 1 BB/1 Kill shot. Just knowing my heart might be beating out of my chest if I would let it is so exciting.

And then third, as some before have mentioned, the tech work. Even if I don't yet have the skills to pull off some of the feats of fine tuning yet, I thoroughly enjoy learning as I take a non-working gun apart. This has gotten to the point that I'm looking for broken guns just for something to take apart and put back together.

And this is besides the social side. I tend not to be social in the slightest, but I enjoy greeting my comrades before a game and passing stories around afterwards. And then finding those people who I want to surpass in our mock combat.

Overall, it gives me something to do, because otherwise I'd probably never get out and meet people.

[idiot88]

When I was a kid in the 70's, we used to play army in the woods with sticks as weapons. I guess it was more or less like a hide and seek game with pretend guns. In the 80's, my friends and I had BB gun fights with the .177 copper/steel BB's. We didn't always use eyepro which was probably not the smartest thing. I finally found airsoft in 2007 or 2008. It was way better than the games I used to play.
I play mostly because of the fun. I like hiding and also looking for those hiding from me. I also like being in the woods and getting exercise while having fun.
The dress up part is another aspect I enjoy. I have an infatuation with camo. When I was little in the early 70's, I had two GI Joe's. All the uni's were solid colors. The comic books had photos of the GI Joe Action Marine with his duck hunter camo. I always lusted over that camo but never got it (until GI Joe came back in the late 90's). In high school, someone gave me a woodland BDU jacket with the 82nd Airborne patch on it. I thought it was the coolest thing. When we had our BB gun fights, I was the only one with a camo top. I was also the only one with a CO2 pistol that shot seventeen shots on semi auto. Anyways, airsoft gave me a good enough reason to collect camo. I now have woodland, DCU, ACU, Multicam, Russian Reed, Italian San Marco, Swiss Alpenflage, Belgian jigsaw, and East German Blumentarn.

[Murphy]

I kind of agree with the general consensus of enjoying combat and a challenge. Its always nice to see what other people are willing to throw at you, and to see how much fear you can strike into people. The bolder I am when I play airsoft, the better I seem to do. People expect you to play it safe, they don't expect you to jump the wall and come out guns blazing.

I think the adrenaline really draws me to it. I'm a pretty sedentary fellow outside of skating, so its nice to get out every once and a while and beat the crap out of my system.

Honestly I think I would join the army, except I'm completely not the right candidate for it. Colorblind, flat-footed, and lazy-not exactly prime infantry material. Kudos and thanks are due to those who do put themselves in that position.

[stuckmojo]

I play because I like to see how my own work on my hop up compares to Kory's, some of my friends play, I like to wear my vegetata, and because I have been playing airsoft since I was in 4rth grade...a different form of it, of course.

man i loved that good one chippy i didnt know canadians could be so funny.

the main reason i got into airsoft was because i was looking for something for me and my son to do together. we got invited to play at one of the early aircross games and we both fell in love with it. since then it has evolved for me into: being with friends and having fun, b. making new friends which i have definately done that., c being part of a team., d challeneging myself and finally e. pissing of those multicam elistist on ajax. and i will say one of the funnest airsoft experiences for me was being the co for sc at this years sc vs ga game. all of my requirements where meet except for the last