Is airsoft becoming less popular?

[Alien_Hunter]

Let me start by saying that I do not mean that airsoft is not cool-kid popular. There is only one airsoft field in Sonoma county and only one privately-hosted event every month and a half on somebody's land. Watching videos from a couple years ago there were hundreds of people going to these things but now a good turn out is 30 or 40 players. What happened to all of those blue jean, t-shirt clad airsofters? It seems like airsoft is becoming too elite, or the elite image is turning it into a fashion show or a contest. I know that there are probably more forums and fields than ever, but I'm lucky to play airsoft once a month with people other than my immediate friends.

I am just wondering where everyone went. On SonomaCountyAirsoft.com, there's only one active admin and everybody else has sort of walked away. I'm not here to start a debate about SCA.com though.

[Tankwitch]

Economics most likely has played a big role in this. The 2008 economic crash still hasn't fully ended yet, and it hit low skill workers the hardest. Which tends be the young males who make up airsofting the most.

[Alien_Hunter]

I've thought about that. Hopefully airsoft will come back to Sonoma county. I suppose there have always been "baby S.E.A.L.s" (that's what I call kid-softers dressed like the SEALs.) It seems like as airsoft has gotten progressively less expensive with cooler stuff, less people are playing while more people are overdoing it with gear. It's just something I've noticed.

[McNair]

Generally it somewhat blows up during summer due to the kiddies being out of school and (here)weather. Come fall/winter the kiddies go back to school and the dress up/photo op kids don't want to get their gear dirty/wet.

[Variable]

The face of it is changing. The new players are organizing differently than we did 5-10 years ago. The groups of players are more polarized too.

[Tork]

It's because Variable pinged too many kids in the face :P

[Tankwitch]

Generally it somewhat blows up during summer due to the kiddies being out of school and (here)weather. Come fall/winter the kiddies go back to school and the dress up/photo op kids don't want to get their gear dirty/wet.

Those kiddies who come out for the summer, are the expansion base for this game. A healthy amount of those cropping up every year is a good thing. Mind you as long as they play safe, and are respectful to the general community.

[Matt]

I don't think it's because it's becoming "too elite." That never stopped people before, we always had our elitist mil-sim players. There's more commercial fields now and arenas. Instead of having 1 big OP every 6 months like we used to 5 years ago, now there's probably 4-5 different places you could play Airsoft this weekend if you wanted to. And that spreads the audience apart.

We could get 300-400 people at a game because they were all waiting for that game to be announced. Now there's an OP just about every other weekend. Plus we used to always get together for free skirmishes "just because" on a regular basis and draw 70-80 players, that doesn't happen as much anymore. The new generation of Airsofter has no problem just going to an arena and paying to play, in fact their parents probably feel like it's safer. (They may be right) And they've come to expect less from the game, plinking at each other from behind barrels for an hour is good enough today.

There hasn't really been anybody in the new generation of Airsofters who has done what we did with Airsoft Pacific back in the day. At least, not in the northwest. We were pretty awesome with our CQC competitions twice a year, 300 player OPs, videos, photos... it kept people excited and interested to be part of it. And we had PSAC and others in Washington putting on events like Blue Steel, Gallant Saber. Nowadays an Airsoft promoter can't be bothered to do much aside from start a Facebook group.

You get out of it what you put into it. The good news is, there are some groups out there planning and putting on some pretty amazing events, it has nowhere to go but up.

[pathfinder]

I don't think it's because it's becoming "too elite." That never stopped people before, we always had our elitist mil-sim players. There's more commercial fields now and arenas. Instead of having 1 big OP every 6 months like we used to 5 years ago, now there's probably 4-5 different places you could play Airsoft this weekend if you wanted to. And that spreads the audience apart.

We could get 300-400 people at a game because they were all waiting for that game to be announced. Now there's an OP just about every other weekend. Plus we used to always get together for free skirmishes "just because" on a regular basis and draw 70-80 players, that doesn't happen as much anymore. The new generation of Airsofter has no problem just going to an arena and paying to play, in fact their parents probably feel like it's safer. (They may be right) And they've come to expect less from the game, plinking at each other from behind barrels for an hour is good enough today.

There hasn't really been anybody in the new generation of Airsofters who has done what we did with Airsoft Pacific back in the day. At least, not in the northwest. We were pretty awesome with our CQC competitions twice a year, 300 player OPs, videos, photos... it kept people excited and interested to be part of it. And we had PSAC and others in Washington putting on events like Blue Steel, Gallant Saber. Nowadays an Airsoft promoter can't be bothered to do much aside from start a Facebook group.

You get out of it what you put into it. The good news is, there are some groups out there planning and putting on some pretty amazing events, it has nowhere to go but up.

100% this.

[Jerm_G]

There is more to it than what Matt said too. Some people do get burnt out. Others have major life shifts do to work or a whole combination of things. For me it was the perfect trifecta. A 50 hour a week job that starts on Thursday and ends Monday, being a full time student, and now I have a kid too. There are some good games in the Northwest now and then but they all happen on days I work so for now I'm in time out until my schedule changes. Most people I know are in similar positions. Hell, HH6 and the kid are gone for the weekend. It's the only way I was able to even hop on today and post something.

[Alien_Hunter]

These are all good explanations. Airsoft is pretty dead in Santa Rosa CA though. The nearest fields are an hour away, and while I've gone farther for less I am too broke to do it.

[Junto]

An hour of drive time is very reasonable, but only if you can afford it. I was broke for long enough that I can understand that.

Though now that I've got a car and can afford gas, an hour drive to a game isn't anything.

[McNair]

An hour drive is the very least for me.
More often it is 2 hours.

Anyone who complains of an hour drive to a game can eat a tool.

[Catch22]

Yes

[Alien_Hunter]

Uh yeah what they said I was quoting some loser I heard say that. I dig airsoft, wish more people would play. I love charging through the woods shooting suckers in tha FACE! It's almost 0100 and I would get all of my stuff together and play right now if somebody called me up.