Have a disability but want to play airsoft

[zombiesniper]

You shouldn't worry about anyone making to much fun of you. This sport is dominated by alpha type personalities that would have no problem telling that 1 in 1000 to STFU.

Besides I fall over and mess myself up from time to time and the only thing I can blame it on is stupidity.
If you're ever up in the Barrie area PM me and I'll get you out shooting.

[Desmodus]

Originally Posted by mrjaybles

So I made a post about this a while back and it got some positive feedback but I wanted to make a new post because now I know exactly what is the problem.

So basically I have a physical disability called spinocerebellar ataxia(google it if you wish) which affects my muscle movements, coordination, etc. I really want to get into this sport/hobby but I'm afraid of getting laughed at or teased because "I don't move and react like normal people do" or something like that. Also I have the tendency to fall down a lot because my balance is off. I would feel way more comfortable playing with a friend or someone like that but I dont have any friends who play airsoft. Any and all feedback is welcome. Thank you.

You shouldn't care about what anyone else thinks. If you wanna play airsoft, then come play airsoft. Most airsofters I've met are good, decent people who are more than willing to help others out if needed.

[FirestormX]

I remember your first thread.

I'll just echo what everyone else has said. The airsoft community is pretty friendly and supportive, and generally doesn't tolerate legitimate assholes. zombiesniper is spot on when he says "This sport is dominated by alpha type personalities that would have no problem telling that 1 in 1000 to STFU."

People help each other, regardless of if you've just met, or if you're on the other team, or what have you.

Most non-walk-on fields require you to be 18+ to play, and the gear is expensive and generally requires employment. Thus, you can usually expect a decent amount of maturity at a game. Well, sort of. There's always those groups of people who repeat the same gawd awful immature jokes relating their rifle to their dicks; or BBs to their balls; or trying to make themselves sound gay when they bring up using each other's body for warmth at night in a "I'm so not gay, and I'll prove it by talking about this commonly required form of keeping warm in a way that makes me sound gay. The irony will be hilarious" way.
...But you can expect maturity towards YOU as a player.

This isn't high school, and airsoft players generally don't arbitrarily act like dicks to somebody that they see as weaker in order to up their social status...Especially since that would lower their social status in THIS community, and probably get them kicked out of the game - if not outright banned from playing at most fields. You may as well have asked "will a 20-something-year-old that has invested thousands of dollars into this hobby, come out to a game and make fun of me because of my skin colour?"

However, this thread is full of responses from people who seem to have the organized/private games in mind.
If you head out to Ultimate Airsoft or Siege Airsoft in Toronto for a walk-on game, there's no telling who would be there. There also isn't that 18+ age limit. Some highschooler could just show up, rent a gun, and start ragging on other players to make himself feel better about his lack of skill. I've encountered plenty of assholes there, and you may encounter them as well.

But with that said, I know employees at both of those venues, and if they ever caught someone making fun of you for your disability, that person would very likely get reemed out and booted. It's difficult to say that "no airsofter will ever be a dick to you", but the VAST majority of airsofters are great people. And as zombiesniper pointed out, very few of them will have any problems sticking up for you, and game organizers/staff have no problem dealing with bad people. They have to deal with people not calling hits, or getting into arguments, or being douchebags in general. Since making fun of somebody falls under "being a douchebag in general", that douchebag gets dealt with.

You should also keep in mind that people come out to airsoft because they actually want to play airsoft. They invest time, money, and physical effort into it. They're there to play the game, have fun, and form those comradery bonds that keep people coming back for more. But if they're a dick to people, then they get no friends, no comradery, nobody wanting to play with them, and they're left with a heap of expensive gear that they can't use to play with anybody. There's very little incentive to treat other people like shit.

But of course, all of this is not to say that airsoft games are some SJW "safe space", where we're super sensitive about what we say. We're adults, and we should behave like adults. We're not going to make fun of you for something you have no control over, but people who get to know you may start feeling comfortable enough to tease you about things you do have a choice over. Like shelledpants making fun of a full multiglam uniform, or someone commenting about how your HK416 is inferior to their AK.
...Sometimes the teasing is warranted, and sometimes its just delusional.

[RainyEyes]

Originally Posted by FirestormX

This isn't high school, and airsoft players generally don't arbitrarily act like dicks to somebody that they see as weaker in order to up their social status..

I'll have what you're having because I've experienced people picking fights for being shot 3 times (apparently 2 is 2 too many) because of reflex reactions wasn't a good excuse for the 2 excess shots.

I've also had people yell at me for shouting out locations of the enemy because "you're being too intense". Granted, the tango who I was calling out also shot the guy subsequently in the face 2 seconds after he told me to stop shouting since "you're not helping". Well of course I'm not helping, you're not listening...

I see high-school mentality in some of the older people in the sport as well as the younger crowd where they'll pick a fight because they think they're better than you or because they're afraid to admit someone's better than you. Real childish shit where a "it's just airsoft guys, chill" is all the response that could be merited from the referees.

[FirestormX]

Haha, maybe my inability to actually hit people has shielded me from people picking fights with me for overshooting them. But more seriously, I write off "fights" about overshooting, as just an overreaction to pain. And I've never heard of people legitimately yelling at someone because they're being too intense.

Was this at a proper game, or a walk-on skirmish event? I haven't bothered playing a skirmish at any place other than TTAC3 in well over a year.

[cadpat_tact]

Originally Posted by mrjaybles

...Any and all feedback is welcome. Thank you.

Go for it. For every jerk you come across there are at least 10 guys who will back you up. Bad apples are anywhere but the brotherhood still exists.

And even more respect for you for doing what you love despite physical challenges