Is Airsoft More Popular Than Paintball

[Airsoft-Ed]

I think the balance is certainly shifting.

I play at Skirmish Airsoft more than anywhere else, which is actually "Skirmish Paintball" but the airsoft side of it. It's run by different people but there are often both types of game going on at the site on the same days, so you'll often walk past paintballers on the way to games etc.

The site owner once told me that back in paintball's heyday, about 10 or so years ago, he said they used to have over 800 people go through the site in one day. The most the airsoft side has ever brought in, after running every weekend for 2 years, is just shy of 90... On a free member's day.

One of the things that I always found odd about paintball once I'd started airsofting, is the fact that I've never seen anyone go paintballing who has their own kit before.

Ever.

Does paintball segregate their crowd and split up hires and own gunners or something? Why do they do that? I think the reason airsoft became a regular thing for me, but paintball never did, is because you're almost actively encouraged to buy your own equipment for airsoft, and it's self evident how to go about doing it.

Whenever I've been paintballing, there's been no one there with their own gun for me to ask about it, to find out where they got it, what they cost, or anything.

I've been meaning to go paintballing again for a while now, 'cos everyone you play against has only ever been about 5 times, and although I've only been about 5 times as well, I've been airsofting literally hundreds of times, so I bet I'd be pretty damn good against uber tactical noobs :lol:

 

[Reptile Smile]

One of the things that I always found odd about paintball once I'd started airsofting, is the fact that I've never seen anyone go paintballing who has their own kit before.

Ever.

Does paintball segregate their crowd and split up hires and own gunners or something? Why do they do that? I think the reason airsoft became a regular thing for me, but paintball never did, is because you're almost actively encouraged to buy your own equipment for airsoft, and it's self evident how to go about doing it.

Whenever I've been paintballing, there's been no one there with their own gun for me to ask about it, to find out where they got it, what they cost, or anything.

I've been meaning to go paintballing again for a while now, 'cos everyone you play against has only ever been about 5 times, and although I've only been about 5 times as well, I've been airsofting literally hundreds of times, so I bet I'd be pretty damn good against uber tactical noobs :lol:

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Well, as an ex-avid tourney paintballer, the issue is more that when paintballers want to step up a gear and move up a level, the only place to go is into tourney paintball which is in itself not only *at all* completely different to rec ball/woodsball, but goes out of its way to distance itself. The reasons for this seem to be a bit lost in the mists of time, but essentially, I think it was about making it more mainstream, more televisable, and less 'blokes dressing up'. Camo actually was banned at many Sup'air style events (though, as i the manner of these things, eventually came back in a 'look at me doing something so different I'm cool' type way.

This isn't a bad intro to what modern tourney paintball looks like. So I think that's why you don't get paintballers with their own gear at rec'balling events. I have done it - once. But it's not what I mean when I talk about paintballing, and the vast majority of paintballers with their own gear are the same (note that that may not be the case for paintballers on this site, in that they may not be the most representative sample). There's also an element of it being a bit like the Man U coach pulling up at your local 5 aside event on a Sunday. If it's really one sided, is it really that enjoyable? Maybe a little...

The interesting thing for me is as an ex-paintballer and new to airsoft, I'm really not interested in dressing up as a soldier at all. It's really not about military simulation for me - at least not in the normal sense, maybe a little in the Hollywood sense - but about running around a darkened building and having a blast. I wonder if I will be seen as being a bit weird in really preferring the concept of a two tone - perhaps not in the way they have to be for compliance, but in the CS:GO Arms Deal purple-gun-with-lightning-down-the-side way. And it seems to me since the bust out into the mainstream (well, sort of) of cosplay in the last few years, there's not only room for the milsim guys who effectively are doing a kind of cosplay, but also for people like me who come from a slightly different perspective.

That's the theory, anyway. Who knows..?

By the way, losing hits in paintball at the highest levels is every bit as much of a problem as non-walkers in airsoft. Football has never managed to get rid of diving, right..?

 

[jcheeseright]

Lots of text

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I think you'll be fine, the hardcore 'immersion or nothing!!!' Airsofters are in the extreme minority and 90% of people who rock up to a walk on skirmish apply 'rule of cool' to their gear choices. For some this is dressing up as a soldier, for others it's agent 47 from hitman.

No one worth notice is going to look down on you for wanting a lightning bolt on your gun!

 

[Moose87]

i think that would be cool and unique.

 

[Monty]

Personally, I think Paintball is much more popular, because you see advertisements promoting paintball anywhere you go (I do anyway.)

One of the things that I always found odd about paintball once I'd started airsofting, is the fact that I've never seen anyone go paintballing who has their own kit before.

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They do this to 'balance' things out, according to my brother who plays paintball a lot. He also says (at his local site) they have days where they allow people to bring their own kit.

 

[kriegar]

The one time i went paintballing there a few guys with their own guns, and i used to share a house with a paint baller he had a full rig of his own, customised guns, padded clothing so paintballs had less chance of bursting, masks even ammo pouches.

 

[CaptainSwoop]

Less chance of bursting? So if he is hit but the ball doesn't burst and mark him it doesn't count?

 

[evilfree]

Paintball to me is more of a day out for an event. Airsoft however is a hobby.

 

[Moose87]

yer swoop the ball has to burst to count.

 

[CaptainSwoop]

I suppose that makes sense, no mark no proof.

 

[kirvesuk]

paintball turnover is massive compared to airsoft, like someone earlier in the thread said, paintball is an event - airsoft is a hobby.

Skirmish Exeter which is one of my local sites is a paintball business that does airsoft on the side a couple of weekends a month, the walk ons are always busy with 60 ish players but that's only once a fortnight. Their paintball numbers are so much larger, 60+ players a day, 5 days a week. Skirmish admittedly are a big operation that have been going for a very long time but I can't imagine that they're much off the norm for a commercial paintball enterprise.

With that in mind, while Airsoft is undoubtedly a growing hobby, there's a lot of growth required to even begin to challenge paintball for numbers/popularity.

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A friend of mine plays at Skirmish Exeter with his sons, he is full of praise for the site!

Anyway, to the point, down here in Devon there are definately more paintball sites, and they have been established for a good many years. If you want to play Airsoft you basically share a paintball site for the day. There is one dedicated airsoft site near Plymouth, but is a very small enterprise.

 

[sp00n]

Hull used to have a paint ball site in the 90's, but it closed down.

Hull has we only just got an airsoft site, on its first day there was 8 players ... Last Sunday (2months later) there was 16

 

[Zyras]

Yeah, you can get "Bounce vests", they are classed as body protection for tourney players, but it is pretty well known that certain types are valued (by a certain type of player) because they a tendency to make rounds bounce instead of break.

Nice to see it isnt just me with the whole camo thing Reptile, i play in dark cargo's, long sleeve t-shirt and cut off shirt.

 

[jcheeseright]

A friend of mine plays at Skirmish Exeter with his sons, he is full of praise for the site!

Anyway, to the point, down here in Devon there are definately more paintball sites, and they have been established for a good many years. If you want to play Airsoft you basically share a paintball site for the day. There is one dedicated airsoft site near Plymouth, but is a very small enterprise.

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The dedicated on you're talking about I assume is Mad Mommas in Saltash (near plymouth for those who are unfamiliar with the area), while a small enterprise (50 players max) it is hands down the best airsoft site I have ever been to. Excellent marshals who are all volunteers and airsoft players too, £10 walk on fee which includes free tea/coffee, a wide variety of games played which are pitched at the level of the players attending to make things interesting and a general lack of dickheadedness.

There's plenty of other dedicated airsoft sites though, MIA in north devon (ironfoot.co.uk) do a decent enough game with decent marshals, cornwall airsoft assault and KGB airsoft cornwall both run excellent sites further down the county and brit-tac run the bolt head bunker a bit further to the east. If anything in the south west we're a bit spoiled for choice with dedicated airsoft sites.