Is UK airsoft losing steam?

[nwjameson]

Hi lads,

 

just wondering if anyone thought the same? my local sites don't seem to get the same numbers as they used to and a few people i followed seemed to have left the sport completely, people come and go but it seems to be a hell of a lot more of the latter.

 

I'm not as active as a used to be on socials ect however I haven't seen any huge events being talked about either?

 

I could be completely wrong and just not looking hard enough but wondering if anyone else felt the same since after covid?

[Tackle]

I think covid would have had a small impact on numbers, but it's likely those bods would have drifted away eventually anyway. 

I'm more inclined to blame the "cost of living crisis", literally everything has rocketed in price (except maybe Airsoft green fees ?), & for most Airsoft is low down the list of financial commitments, less disposable income will make people reevaluate their priorities. 

IMHO 🤔

[nwjameson]

1 minute ago, Tackle said:

I think covid would have had a small impact on numbers, but likely those bods would have drifted away anyway. 

I'm more inclined to blame the "cost of living crisis", literally everything has rocketed in price (except maybe Airsoft green fees ?), & for most Airsoft is low down the list of financial commitments, less disposable income will make people reevaluate their priorities. 

IMHO 🤔

Good point, I also have had alot less disposable income so im not surprised people sell kit and move on now.

 

I felt like just before covid UK airsoft was all the rage, im hoping to start trying some new sites outside of my area to see if i can peak my interest again as Merseyside's airsoft scene is pretty dead.

[BigStew]

Less money about but also other priorities come a long, which has been the case as long a I can remember. I have been going to my current local site going on 14 years there are maybe 2 or 3 other people been going longer than me and doesn't include the current owner( slightly worried  i have no life).

[Colin Allen]

48 minutes ago, nwjameson said:

Hi lads,

 

just wondering if anyone thought the same? my local sites don't seem to get the same numbers as they used to and a few people i followed seemed to have left the sport completely, people come and go but it seems to be a hell of a lot more of the latter.

 

I'm not as active as a used to be on socials ect however I haven't seen any huge events being talked about either?

 

I could be completely wrong and just not looking hard enough but wondering if anyone else felt the same since after covid?

The sites that I play at are as busy as ever, if not more so.

[nwjameson]

2 minutes ago, BigStew said:

Less money about but also other priorities come a long, which has been the case as long a I can remember. I have been going to my current local site going on 14 years there are maybe 2 or 3 other people been going longer than me and doesn't include the current owner( slightly worried  i have no life).

 

1 minute ago, Colin Allen said:

The sites that I play at are as busy as ever, if not more so.

that's a bit of good news at least, I think merseyside has never been too popular for airsoft so maybe all the reasons listed above plus covid completely wrecked the sport anywhere around me, one site I go to every now and then (Delta Team 3 Merseyside) pretty much is the only site keeping it alive in the area and its a very small but tight-knit group.

[TacticalWaifu]

Not a lad, but I'll weigh in all the same

 

As others have said, some places took a hit with the pandemic -- I'd imagine some folk sold up as lockdown went on (and on, and on...), others maybe fell out of love with it... numbers are still pretty good in a lot of places though!

 

I don't think sites are struggling to find players too much, but obviously it can vary -- I've seen some places packed like sardines for one skirmish, and only have a handful of players the next. 🤷‍♀️

 

I think cost of living counts for a lot now -- I know of one site at least which has basically tripled the price of its pyros, and removed member discounts on consumables and fees

For sites, a lot of the worry is how they've managed to keep going financially during covid, and if/how they've managed to get player numbers back up afterwards. Think it can really depend where you are, though!

[Rogerborg]

Eh.  Sorry to hear that things are winding down there, but around me, Area-66, Players of War, The Depot 2.0 and Biohazard are all doing fine.  Granted, Biohazard seems determined to try to run weeknight games that they keep cancelling at the last minute due to lack of numbers, but Sundays always book out.  Everything is pre-book, nobody has gone back to (actual) walk-ons.

 

Cost, yes, that's an issue. While I'm not a Poor, I do baulk at paying £36 for a Depot day.  That doesn't seem to put too many other folk off though, it's busy enough, last I heard.

 

Folk do drop out, that's the nature of any hobby.  But actual game days don't depend on... influencers... turning up.  Us peasants can have a great day without it being InstaFaced or used as the raw footage for some YouToob fictional production.

[BigStew]

2 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

 

 

Cost, yes, that's an issue. While I'm not a Poor, I do baulk at paying £36 for a Depot day.  That doesn't seem to put too many other folk off though, it's busy enough, last I heard.

 

 

Always try to get my head around we airsofters balk at green fees yet spend thousands on gun/gear I can't think of many all day activities that cost less than airsoft green fees (£36 would last you maybe two rounds for four people in the pub these days.

[TacticalWaifu]

12 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

But actual game days don't depend on... influencers... turning up.  Us peasants can have a great day without it being InstaFaced or used as the raw footage for some YouToob fictional production.

 

SO MUCH THIS. It's the regular folks that are the meat and veg of venues going, and keeping places running strong.

 

6 minutes ago, BigStew said:

Always try to get my head around we airsofters balk at green fees yet spend thousands on gun/gear I can't think of many all day activities that cost less than airsoft green fees (£36 would last you maybe two rounds for four people in the pub these days.

 

I saw an (USian) airsoft YouTuber recently complaining about folk who'd turn up with fancy guns, and then beg to borrow play fees... like, my dude, if you can't afford to pay for yourself, why should I believe you'd be able to pay me back?

Green fees are a weird one. I think some people don't like the idea of x chunk of change going on y amount of time running around, but venues still have bills, insurance, etc. to pay, so it's important - and £5 or £10 a game generally isn't going to cut it.

If they could see their fee per hours of skirmishing, or per smile (cheesy, I know) they'd probably feel better about it -- but the Gucci gear folks would rather put the money towards a shiny toy, than the opportunity to have fun and actually use it 🤷‍♀️

[JimFromHorsham]

No let up near me , sites are always really busy every weekend , new players constantly getting set up and the money for new kit and guns is flowing like water .

[Adolf Hamster]

for me it was covid.

 

it didn't make me want to stop playing, far from it i couldn't wait to get back on the field.

 

and then everything opened up again and i got back on the field, looking forward to having some fun again.

 

except it was ruined, by the same old shit that's bugged me about this hobby since day 1.

 

wasn't the first time i'd felt like this, but thanks to the enforced break it made me realise the value of it even more.

 

that is to say that this hobby lacks consistency, that all it takes is one group of bad apples to rock up and even sites that are generally good can fail to provide an experience that lifts the spirits. the hobby you do to have a good time becomes a source of annoyance, and if you ain't having fun then why do it?

 

so decided to pack it in for now, not saying i won't be back but tbh i suspect without some major changes to how sites/the community organises itself i can't see the situation improving to a point where i'll not end up feeling the same again.

[Tackle]

1 hour ago, nwjameson said:

Good point, I also have had alot less disposable income so im not surprised people sell kit and move on now.

 

I felt like just before covid UK airsoft was all the rage, im hoping to start trying some new sites outside of my area to see if i can peak my interest again as Merseyside's airsoft scene is pretty dead.

That's another good point I'd overlooked, the sites themselves, we've lost some of the well established greats, the likes of UA, the mall, combat south & probably many more, new sites are rare & often short lived thanks to the stupid amount of new housing being built. 

How far your prepared to travel for a decent game then becomes an issue, personally I always end up spending more on fuel to get to & from sites than the actual green fees themselves. 

But then that's probably my fault for living closer to France than my nearest Airsoft site. 

[TacticalWaifu]

@Tackle have you considered adjusting your hop up and just firing at France? 😂

[nwjameson]

2 hours ago, Tackle said:

That's another good point I'd overlooked, the sites themselves, we've lost some of the well established greats, the likes of UA, the mall, combat south & probably many more, new sites are rare & often short lived thanks to the stupid amount of new housing being built. 

How far your prepared to travel for a decent game then becomes an issue, personally I always end up spending more on fuel to get to & from sites than the actual green fees themselves. 

But then that's probably my fault for living closer to France than my nearest Airsoft site. 

Yeah that also, two Giants by me shut down (SWAT airsoft in the city center for CQB & Bravo 22 for outdoor just outside the city)

 

Also yeah, honestly who can blame potential future site owners from not opening a new site, with all the shite going on these days and lack of area to play. Unless there is some sort of huge influx of people into airsoft I cant see many smaller sites saying open for business in the future, but here's hoping something changes.

Edited June 19, 2023 by nwjameson
spelling

[Jaylordofwaargh]

Worth mentioning Exeter Airsoft and the chaps that run driver wood. They recently purchased the land which is a huge deal for Airsoft down that way, there are also a number of sites that I know of that are really putting in the time and effort to upgrade Thier sites. The common one is almost always owning or having "best use" of the land....

As to number of players, well I will get to play maybe three/four times a year so I am maybe one of those that are infrequent at sites....

[gavinkempsell]

2 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

Players of War

Have you attended the last couple  of skirmishes?

[Cannonfodder]

I haven't personally noticed it, but then I've been a bit of an airsoft nomad for the past year thanks to work changing my shift pattern.

 

As others have posted I think the rising cost of living will have had an impact, especially for the older players with things like rent/mortgages going up. Another factor could be that as airsoft only really became very well known about in the past few years some of those who started then would've moved on to whatever the next big new thing is.

2 hours ago, nwjameson said:

Yeah that also, two Giants by me shut down (SWAT airsoft in the city center for CQB

I was going to ask if any qere cqb sites. Unfortunately cqb sites tend to not be around as long as urban areas get redeveloped and land owners want to make their money

2 hours ago, Tackle said:

How far your prepared to travel for a decent game then becomes an issue, personally I always end up spending more on fuel to get to & from sites than the actual green fees themselves. 

My problem is that I've got to rely on public transport. While I've got quite a few sites within easy driving distance only 1 is on a direct train line. The rest involve a journey of at least 2 hours plus often a walk too. All of this is a big chunk of my cost of a game day

 

[Krisz]

5 hours ago, nwjameson said:

Hi lads,

 

just wondering if anyone thought the same? my local sites don't seem to get the same numbers as they used to and a few people i followed seemed to have left the sport completely, people come and go but it seems to be a hell of a lot more of the latter.

 

I'm not as active as a used to be on socials ect however I haven't seen any huge events being talked about either?

 

I could be completely wrong and just not looking hard enough but wondering if anyone else felt the same since after covid?

COVID fucked up many venues. You can't base a business model on a "yes, you can open on Tuesday for two weeks for 8 people but you have to be shut for the next three months".

The more I play against speedsofters the more I don't enjoy airsoft and I've just started to realise this ting in the last few months prior to previous bad experiences. I just wish I'd have enough money to run my own site and ban all of them from it. 🤣

Japanise airsoft it is. No running indoor. No overshooting. Not bending rules because we've got fragile egos and we're man children.

And ofc everything is getting more expensive so people cut back on luxury first.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Krisz

[Tommikka]

There is the turnover factor - there’s a natural cycle of churn.

People give up or take a life break ….. and there may or may not be new generations to take over, who may also be going for a different flavour

 

As mentioned above there’s the difference between YouTube playing, regular fun playing and the occasional ad hoc once in a while

 

Post Covid there are different life decisions being made, cost of living affects people etc

But also there are those less effected by the cost of living. If you’re a teen with a part time job, small or no rent and no bills other than how you choose to spend the disposable money is still your choice

If you’re more affluent then your crisis might be whether or not to cut back on a couple of Proseccos

If you don’t have money then you can’t spend it

If you have money and need to spend it wisely, you might cut back on a few things, buy cheaper alternatives but have the need for some relief - which might mean a monthly game of shooting people instead of a weekly game, or one or two of your favourite games a year 

 

 

Personally I didn’t do badly under covid, I still worked, didn’t have commuting expenses and now I have partial commuting expenses

I shopped, bought shiney things from businesses to support them and still have not got back into a game.

I have down my alerts for particular games that are an absolute must (Which are likely to be still not happening this year) plus an emergency contingency game penciled in to secure my need to shoot people

Its not necessarily the money, but it’s the experience - there are games that won’t scratch the itch and when I take the time away from the rest of my life activities I want to enjoy it to the best

[Dan Robinson]

21 minutes ago, Krisz said:

Japanise airsoft it is. No running indoor. No overshooting. Not bending rules because we've got fragile egos and we're man children

Oh dear that's not boding well for my retirement next year over there..... Perhaps I can change them 🤣🤣🤣

[Tackle]

15 minutes ago, Tommikka said:

There is the turnover factor - there’s a natural cycle of churn.

People give up or take a life break ….. and there may or may not be new generations to take over, who may also be going for a different flavour. 

Very true, myself & @Duff Beer were part of a pretty big team, I think 21ish members at one point, great guys & generally all very keen, & then out of the blue a couple lost interest, quickly followed by more who felt they had grown up commitments, next thing it's all come tumbling down, now we're just whispered legends in the halls of valhalla lol.

We're not quitters though are we Jim

27 minutes ago, Krisz said:

 🤣
Japanise airsoft it is. No running indoor. No overshooting. Not bending rules because we've got fragile egos and we're man children.

 

5 minutes ago, Dan Robinson said:

Oh dear that's not boding well for my retirement next year over there..... Perhaps I can change them 🤣🤣🤣

Don't you worry Dan, 6ft7in in the land of little people, you'll have no problems convincing them to keep shooting people, mainly the great big Gaijin🤣😜

[TacticalWaifu]

28 minutes ago, Krisz said:

Japanise airsoft it is. No running indoor. No overshooting. Not bending rules because we've got fragile egos and we're man children.

 

Some fields have a no-running rule, it's not universal. Additionally, while there is a lower power limit, there's also no MED. There tends to be no sprinting in CQB sites, but they tend to be tighter and smaller, so there's less "need," and more chance to get hurt -- plus Japanese airsofters tend to be focussed more on tactics, rather than rushing around.

 

At the end of the day it generally has more manners -- cheating is rarer, there's not the fighting you see (especially in the US), there's just more honour and respect all-round, IME. More clear-cut and tactics-oriented than rule-bending and sprint-and-spray 😊

[Dan Robinson]

7 minutes ago, Tackle said:

in the land of little people, you'll have no problems convincing them to keep shooting people, mainly the great big Gaijin

 

Oh I'm planning on making a point out of it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Krisz]

1 hour ago, TacticalWaifu said:

 

Some fields have a no-running rule, it's not universal. Additionally, while there is a lower power limit, there's also no MED. There tends to be no sprinting in CQB sites, but they tend to be tighter and smaller, so there's less "need," and more chance to get hurt -- plus Japanese airsofters tend to be focussed more on tactics, rather than rushing around.

 

At the end of the day it generally has more manners -- cheating is rarer, there's not the fighting you see (especially in the US), there's just more honour and respect all-round, IME. More clear-cut and tactics-oriented than rule-bending and sprint-and-spray 😊

You couldn't force MED indoor and no need for it when people shoot each other point-blank or sub 10 meters. That's not the point anyway.

This cancer american speedsoft has to go to somewhere else though (mainly speedsoft tournament) because they're absolutely insuffarable most of the time. Speedsoft is fine per se problem is when speedsofters act like they're hot shit and rules only apply to them when they like it or suit them.  Spamming trigger on SEMI, peppering people for no reason, blatant cheating, playing with the HPA regulator, so basically the total opposite what you see in Japan. I've seen all of it since I play again indoor and always grind my gears why I paid for this shitshow... I met some cool speedsofters but lot of them absolutely detached from reality.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Krisz