Where to Play?

• Before even starting off with airsoft, it’s a good idea to check if the sport is actually legal. For example, in China, it is strictly regulated by the authorities. However, in most parts of the world, you should be fine, especially in the EU and in the USA.
• When it comes to most places, there are a few ways people actually organize themselves for airsoft games. Let us walk you through:
• As it often is with other sports, it is gonna make your life much easier if you have a friend to guide you. Before you start to lookup fields, see if some of your friends don’t play airsoft. If yes, definitely reach out. Many airsofters are keen to introduce new people to the hobby! And it’s always a great thing to have a buddy on the field.
• If, however, no one around you plays airsoft, don’t worry. You can find a game for yourself. The easiest way to do it is to google an official field that rents airsoft equipment for you to start with. This is the easiest solution for multiple reasons:
• First off, you would be playing legally in a place used for this purpose. That is always better for beginners as you know that the police won’t jump on you because you’re on someone else’s property. Moreover, fields tend to be more fit for the sport as the organizers deal with potentially dangerous places like ledges, holes, etc.
• Secondly, legal fields are generally more fun to play in due to the fact that they are made for the sport. Added barriers, pre-determined respawns, etc. – all this makes for a better experience.
• On top of that, you only focus on the game/fun part. There is no need for you to organize anything and the place generally guides you (more on that later). This is especially handy with airsoft guns. If the rental gun stops working for whatever reason, you just take another one, not much hassle involved.
• Also, a great thing about public fields is their games don’t struggle with a low amount of participants. There will almost always be enough targets for you!
• And lastly, fields ensure that rules are being enforced. This means that there won’t be anyone with a crazy-strong gun, making the sport truly safe.
• But back to the actual field-searching process. If googling a field didn’t work out for some reason, Facebook Groups would generally be the second place to go. Try finding a local airsoft group. It will almost certainly have airsofters discussing the best field options. And if not, you can always ask a question.
• When searching for a group, try typing stuff like “airsoft + your place of origin” in your native language of course. Alternatively, you might want to try out “airsoft events + your place of origin”.
• When already in a group, search first for fields using the Facebook Group Search button. If you don’t find your answer, just ask yourself.
• Or, if it’s more your style, just pick someone from the group and reach out to them via private messages.
• If Facebook doesn’t suit you for whatever reason, you can also google local Airsoft teams, mostly via Google. If you find some, reach out and ask where would they recommend you start with the sport.
• Sometimes, airsofters or teams may invite you to their private events for your first game. These are usually a guess. In some cases, they are super cool as the people want to push their private game beyond your regular skirmish. However, they tend to lack the service you would’ve gotten at a usual field. The game area isn’t often as airsoft-friendly, rules may get less strict and it’s more about the people you meet. It might be a better idea to stick with fields but in the end, it’s your call. Judge by the way you feel about it.
• Regardless of what way will you choose, it’s always a good idea to ask other airsofters. As we are more than not proud of our hobby, we love to show it to new people as it brings everyone a better experience. So toss your fears and talk to people. You will be surprised. 🙂
• Yeah and a last small tip: it’s not a good idea to go for a MILSIM (Military Simulation) as your first airsoft event. These are usually very demanding, full of complex rules and less friendly towards beginners. Opting for a simple pickup game for a few hours is more fun in this case.