Airsoft as a sport.

[CuppoJava]

Hi,
I started playing airsoft a year ago, and admittedly I got into it without really understanding what airsoft is all about. All I knew was there were cool guns, and they shot stuff. I've been to a few skirmishes and even though I had a lot of fun, they weren't what I was expecting.

There are two sides of airsoft that I can see. Milsim/Re-enactment vs. Sport.

Personally, I favor the sport side:
which means:

-Clear simple goals, around which strategies are developed. (ie. capture the flag, elimination,etc..)

-Your skills are more important than your guns. ie. you are worthless if you can't contribute to the team, no matter how expensive your setup is.

-You choose your guns based around functionality not style. ie. speed, accuracy, and reliability.

-Skirmishing should promote competition between teams. Competition promotes depth, and the development of new strategies to the sport.

-You think putting a EOTech on an airsoft gun is the biggest waste of money ever.

The other side would be milsim/re-enactment:

-Goals/objectives are historically accurate. Tactics used in real war is adopted, even though those tactics were designed around the speed and range of real ammunition.

-Your gear and gun contribute to the realism. As long as you look your part, your making the game feel more real and consequently better for all the other players.

-You place a lot of emphasis on asthetics when choosing your gun. ie. the finish, the material, the gun model, the trades.

-Skirmishing should feel as if you were in real battle, with emphasis placed on realism.

-You think that it's blasphemy if an EOTech is the one piece missing from an accurate setup, and you don't put it on.

So, I would like to know what's the proportion of people on support of either side.

Thanks for reading.
-Cuppo

[attack-beaver]

what you put alot of games are a mix of both. scrims can still have the reality of a MILSIM. its not the game its the player that picks weather hes a authentic looking player or not.

[Naerah]

My expectation around here whould be realism and re-enactment, for what i read here since the last 4 month. I cant wait to see what players here will answer.

[CuppoJava]

Good point. Most games right now are a good mix of the two. I'm gonna have to clarify my question:

If one of the two extremes were promoted, which direction would you rather see airsoft taking?

Extreme Sport:
-Red and Blue Uniforms
-Capture the Flag
-Ladders
-Non-realistic guns that still shoots.

Extreme Simulation:
-Real Gear and Uniforms
-Real-looking guns that match uniform and scenario.
-Accurate re-enactment of modern warfare.

[CalvinTat]

Personally, if it was a one-way-or-another choice, I'd have to say Extreme Simulation due to the fact that Mil-Sim can include objects similar to Capture the Flag (AKA: Object Extraction).

The real turn off about your "Extreme Sport" would be the Red and Blue Uniforms. Who would want to look like a paintballer.

[Aaidin]

Originally Posted by CalvinTat

Personally, if it was a one-way-or-another choice, I'd have to say Extreme Simulation due to the fact that Mil-Sim can include objects similar to Capture the Flag (AKA: Object Extraction).

The real turn off about your "Extreme Sport" would be the Red and Blue Uniforms. Who would want to look like a paintballer.

Mostly what he said. My team plays mostly Cap the flag, fort knox, king of the hill, etc...but we wear German camo and try to use tactics/Milsim style of play as much as possible.

[Cushak]

Originally Posted by CalvinTat

Personally, if it was a one-way-or-another choice, I'd have to say Extreme Simulation due to the fact that Mil-Sim can include objects similar to Capture the Flag (AKA: Object Extraction).

The real turn off about your "Extreme Sport" would be the Red and Blue Uniforms. Who would want to look like a paintballer.

And the non-realistic looking guns. If I didn't want guns that looked realistic, I would have got into paintball, or woodsball.

[Greylocks]

Considering the recent 'publicity', I'd prefer to have no promotion at all. Discretion is the better part of valor at the moment.

[CuppoJava]

Thanks for your thoughts gentleman.
It seems most of you (or at least the more vocal of you) prefer milsim.
However, the poll is almost equal. How about some opinions from the other side?

I'm actually a big fan of paintball. Except paintball guns are clumsy, inaccurate, and ammo is expensive. Which is the reason that I turned to airsoft.

One complaint that I hear a lot is: paintball has no tactics, it's just mindless spray and pray.
To which I answer: If you want to win, there's always tactics. If everyone just sprayed and prayed, what differentiates the good players from the bad?

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by Greylocks

Considering the recent 'publicity', I'd prefer to have no promotion at all. Discretion is the better part of valor at the moment.

That' wasn't one of the options... don't randomly insert shit because for the love of God this argument doesn't need to be brought up again.

[empty_mags]

The whole point of airsoft to me is getting into the realism as much as you can without choosing to shoot at your friends with live ammo. This does not even remotely have to get close to "re-enacting" any point in history to be considered a milsim. All that stuff you describe that you like to do, why don't you just go and play paintball chief?

We have always prided ourselves on this, and have always considered ourselves different from paintballers. Why would we want to turn this into paintball with different guns. If we wanted to play paintball style games, WE WOULD PLAY PAINTBALL.

[Skruface]

I consider airsoft a hobby, not a sport.

A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. Hobbies are practised for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfillment is the aim, not competition - this is why I think airsoft fits this definition - in my experience, people participate in airsoft for enjoyment and interest, not to "win".

A sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing).

That said, "sports" have some things that airsoft has - namely a set structure of rules to determine "winners" and "losers" in a competition. "Sports" also have a lot of things that airsoft generally doesn't - coaches, referees, leagues, and perhaps most importantly, PROFESSIONAL ALTHLETES who play for cold, hard cash.

Until airsoft has actual leagues with refs, coaches, and paid professional players, it will always be a categorized as a hobby and not a sport, like stamp collecting or building model railroads.

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by Skruface

I consider airsoft a hobby, not a sport.

A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. Hobbies are practised for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfillment is the aim, not competition - this is why I think airsoft fits this definition - in my experience, people participate in airsoft for enjoyment and interest, not to "win".

A sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing).

That said, "sports" have some things that airsoft has - namely a set structure of rules to determine "winners" and "losers" in a competition. "Sports" also have a lot of things that airsoft generally doesn't - coaches, referees, leagues, and perhaps most importantly, PROFESSIONAL ALTHLETES who play for cold, hard cash.

Until airsoft has actual leagues with refs, coaches, and paid professional players, it will always be a categorized as a hobby and not a sport, like stamp collecting or building model railroads.

Hmm, didn't think of it that way. Well said.

[Denis[teamplayer]]

Originally Posted by Cushak

And the non-realistic looking guns. If I didn't want guns that looked realistic, I would have got into paintball, or woodsball.

..woodsball you say.............tell us more...of this, woodsball..

[Mist3r.B]

Promtoting it as a sport would give a better image of Airsoft to the genéral public. The terms simulation or rehenacment have give obscur felling the the average people and also sound a bit geekish. People tend to have a better opinion of hockey and football(tath are 2 violents sports) than real size D&D outdoor skirmish( where a level 10 spell has little chance of damaging your back or twisting your knee).

I wouldn't sauy it's an extreme sport, because an extreme sport is an activity where you put our physical integrity at risk(wich as never beeb the case in any game I went to).

Now If you rather play a 24h complex scenario game instead of improvised Skirmish is just a nother way to play the game.(like slalom downhill skiing instead of acrobatic skiing). Or as I would say;"Some like sprint, other Marathon.

Targer shooting and obstaclecourse are oficial sport I don't see why Airsoft could not be one.
BTW I heard in a Frenche Documentary on airsoft that Italy reconised Airsoft as an official sport.

When I'm sweaty.. it's sport!