Staying in the Game

[FireKnife]

P.S. Fireknife, what pistol have you bought now?

 

Some good points in that post. As for pistol, wait and see where it appears on the list..........

 

............or pop along to The Fortress / One Shot CQB / The Depot (soon) / Ardeer (arranging a stay over for that one) and I shall have it on me .

 

'FireKnife'

[Vard]

I've found that a lot of airsofters go through a set series of phases.

 

1. The Preliminary phase - you've bought some cheap tat to faff about in the garden with.
2. The Awestruck intro phase - you've visited a site for the first time and spent the day gawking and holding regulars guns.
3. The Purchase phase - You buy any gun with hi-caps or a boxmag, and gear with no consideration for kit coordination !
4. The Impressionist phase - You splash the cash because you want to BE whatever real world army unit is hip at the time, also you only attend milsims only now.
5. The Tacticool phase - Nothing but overpriced gash will do, no impressions just slatherings of fancy codura and RS.
6. The Niche phase - You don't want blend in with airsofter joe! so you put together loadouts of very particular non-standard / obscure military units.
7. The Tactisports Bra phase - Weight ? no you don't want that *suitcase*, you want teeny tiny sports bra like chest rigs that fit about as much stuff as your trouser pockets.
8. The Don't give a *suitcase* phase - You don't care about any of the above anymore, you just want to shoot some people with your now streamlined collections of expensive things. Every other month or so.
9. The Sometimes phase - Those who get out less not because they don't have time (what they'll usually tell you), but because they're old or have discovered another hobby to pour their savings into.
10. The Collector - Who needs friends and skirmishing? not when you have a stupidly large collection of rare and overpriced guns.

 

 

Notable mention: The Hipser phase - You don't do any of the conformist nonsense above, its cowboy hats and stupidly impractical guns for you because *fruitcage* common sense.

This made me grin. I'm browsing after a hiatus of ... somewhere between three and six years, I kinda tapered off gradually rather than just *BAM* taking a break from it like that. I register with #1, 2 & 3, but then kinda jumped and when I stopped I was kinda working at sort of phase 8. Except that it wasn't a loadout of expensive stuff, just a bundle of pretty much completely unrelated stuff thrown together that simply continued to work for me after all the abuse it got.

 

For me the break came for a combination of reasons already mentioned - work reducing the time I could spend on it, another hobby (turbochargers and ... various fast loud things that overfuelled constantly for me, and getting myself onto Canon L Series glass finally), and reduction of time my friends were willing to spend on it - coupled with some feudal friend-group fractal ###### that really probably should never have affected me in any way.

 

As it is, I'm looking to get back into it, because I never got rid of my kit (though a lot of it needs recommissioning at least if not work and repair) and I've just discovered that First & Only are now running a site literally less than half a mile from my house, so it seems like it would be rude not to get involved again, likely even starting with marshalling.

[jal3]

I think you have quite a lot of fields, and of pretty high quality, but it's also somewhat more expensive to play airsoft (ticket fees).

[Hardcore1-6]

I'm curious as to why a lot of players here state that because they have nobody to go with, they simply don't go anymore. Is having a buddy with us so essential?

 

I've been to a few sites on my own before.

 

I can only play at my old 'local' once in a blue moon and several people have queried why i'm there on my own.

 

I don't care, I usually split with the guys I turn up with after the first few hits. We need a patch or something to ident solo arnies. Or at least give someone a friendly face/username to chat to when we arrive..

 

Can't be many sites in the country that don't have arnies members at? (i'm an advocate of the 'Hello my name is..' patch.

[gisburn20]

I have a gisburn20 nametape which I wear at most games, I think Scorch and Ed-Skar have theirs too.

 

I vote for an arnies flag in every safezone under which the brethren may gather.

 

Jim.

[scorch]

I have a gisburn20 nametape which I wear at most games, I think Scorch and Ed-Skar have theirs too.

 

I vote for an arnies flag in every safezone under which the brethren may gather.

 

Jim.

 

 

Nametapes in OD or Tan to match whatever I'm wearing, plus a "Hello may name is..." patch in red. Or, of course, my name across the back of my hi-viz for marshalling.

 

Unless I'm wearing a novelty loadout that nametapes won't go on.

 

 

The very last thing anyone can say about me is that I'm a keyboard warrior online and stay anonymous at site.

 

 

Also, the flag is a good idea. Without one, I'm usually loitering near whatever facilities there are for making and consuming coffee.

[T3CH]

edit:

 

A serious long term relationship would probably be the death of my airsofting days. I've been skirmishing to varying degrees since I was 13 and I'm 25 this year. Its been a fairly large part of my life! 

 

 

You'd be surprised, my girlfriend (and in fact 2 previous ones) encourages me to go out and get some 'play time' maybe I've just been lucky?

[FireKnife]

You'd be surprised, my girlfriend (and in fact 2 previous ones) encourages me to go out and get some 'play time' maybe I've just been lucky?

 

Reminds me of a conversation with an ex:

 

"Hmm, you are putting on a bit of weight, when is the last time you went airsoft".

"About two months ago, been busy with things you have planned".

"Huh ok well go tomorrow, here's £20 to get in".

 

Didn't take the £20 but did go as it got me out of doing housework .

 

As for the name patches I should have got a more permanent version of my one from the Arnies Game that informed everyone that I am a *rickroll*.

 

'FireKnife'

[TheFull9]

Some US stores have been selling "Hello, my Instagram name is [blank space below]" for a while, I could get some made up that say Arnies or 'Forum' easily enough.

[gisburn20]

Check out this item I found on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281045881891&alt=web

[Azubi]

I played more when I live abroad. I'd come home on leave and just smash it every game I could attend. Now I have a house and can't afford to go hardly!

[akey]

I have the same name on most forums youtube etc and usually wear have it on my kit somewhere always good to meet new people

[TheFull9]

Anyway, on the topic.  First off thanks to everyone that's told their tales as it were, it's very interesting reading.  A real myriad of subjects have come up and while a lot of them weren't at all surprising (the usual suspects in life) it's all good to read more different perspectives.  I didn't really write a lot about my view on the whole hobby in the OP, but reading about all the reasons people give it up did make me think a bit about why I've kept going with it long past that 1-2 year point.

 

I guess the reason I got in to this in the first place was centred around the RIFs and that aspect hasn't changed at all, I might get a bit more in to shooting in this country eventually because there's a couple of options I find interesting, but the laws haven't changed and I still can't have the firearms I'd want and airsoft does still remain 'next best thing'.  Also as my collection of tools and knowledge has grown over the years I've been able to built more unique and interesting stuff and the options with airsoft are just so wide in terms of aesthetic customisation you can really have a lot of fun with it (be it all tacticool or 40mm equipped pink desert eagles).  Base guns to work on cost far less than real ones as well of course (even in the US) and there's not much in the way of parts under heavy stress/intense heat etc so there's much less to worry about in terms of how you bolt things together and where you use which type of finish, or mounting a plastic BUIS on a gas block etc.  All of which rather eliminates the 'getting bored' potential I suppose, there's nothing really to 'move on' to that fulfils the same criteria.

 

I also think personally it's perhaps rather wasteful learning about something and then giving it up entirely, it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what sort of gear and guns actually work for you in this game and that principle applies to any hobby really.  I get that some people would rather try a load of different things in their life in terms of how they spend their spare time, but seeing as I have something here that I enjoy I'm rather inclined to learn as much about it as possible and then make use of that knowledge over the years.  It also rather keys in with the fact (I think) that no matter now niche the thing is you're in to, if you get good enough at it then people will eventually want to pay you for your services, knowledge and accumulated experience.  Not talking about getting a job answering e-mails in an airsoft shop here because obviously that's a job and pays the bills and is perfectly fine but not perhaps a 'dream job' per sé; thinking something rather more physical and varied.  There's not really a big enough industry in airsoft that a position exists along the lines of the test gunner at Dillon Aero whereby you literally get paid to fly around and shoot miniguns every day.  But I imagine the closest thing would probably be something like the front man for the YT channel of a really big retailer; no doubt there's a fair bit of work involved there too, but if you had a crew sorting out camera shots and editing etc and you just get to talk to the camera and handle every shiny new toy that comes in.. well that'd probably be pretty good.

 

Skirmishing; well this is the big one and it's hard to cover everything.  Personally, I've categorised myself as a collector, but I take my gun and gear setups to games because that's the only way to reveal a lot of the niggles and issues that you simply won't find by playing dress up at home.  Where exactly to mount your light, which variety of optic, where to place each pouch etc etc; you just don't figure that stuff out sitting at home, not really.  You can gear up and do some garden plinking and that'll show you if you've put a pouch too close above your holster or whatever, but it takes a slightly more involved scenario to figure out the nitty gritty and really streamline everything.  Presuming you don't just carry a hi-cap in a trouser pocket, which is of course the 'end state' for a lot of people on account of the big circle of airsoft life and the path it takes many of us.  Of course there's lots of other advantages to going out and playing too, I like the exercise, the challenge, shooting practice and honestly I wouldn't go out much if at all when I'm home on leave otherwise.  Great for getting the old internal clock in to a better position on a Sunday morning so you're not still wide awake a 2am Monday.

 

In terms of guns n' stuff, I treat my gear and guns as something to be curated I suppose, being more a collector that just happens to use the things they collect.  I've sold off and updated a lot of gear in the past 2 years or so, similar thing with the setups on my guns, a lot of weight and bulk has been stripped with cheaper, heavier old parts being replaced with nice, shiny, lightweight ones.  I have my camo and vests etc which I'm pretty OCD about in terms of completing the major food groups.  For example right now I have OD and CB trousers, but no combat shirts to match, so that's on the to-do-soon list.  It'd be fairly 'safe' to just buy a bunch of the same stuff from a brand that's good and have done with it, but I'm also somewhat obsessed with trying as many different designs, materials and brands as I can, so I've got a real eclectic mix of manufacturers in there and I make a deliberate effort to spend a large chunk of the free time I have researching and bookmarking as many companies as possible in terms of anything tactical, military or survivalist.  Then that all ties in with doing YT and facebook and insta-selfiegratification.  But I could carry on writing a load more about that and it's late so I'll leave it for now.  Nice to expunge the old brain every so often.

[Revengeful_Lobster]

I've been playing since 2005 and never got tired of it. If I could afford to play every week I would, but I'm starting to get disillusioned with the cost of everything. A game runs JPY3000-4000, then I have to add in public transit, which could be an additional JPY2000 round trip. That's JPY5000-6000 just for a day of play. Then something goes wrong with your gun. It doesn't perform well enough. It breaks. Now you've gotta sink money into tweaking/troubleshooting/fixing. Then you realize something with your gear doesn't work right or that you need a certain piece of gear. Now you've gotta pay out the nose for mag pouches or other gear that's outrageously priced regardless of what country you live in. 

 

So I tried out competition style speed shooting. I've got a Glock with a nice holster and two mags, I should be set right? Nope, need mag pouches. So I get mag pouches. Then my Glock gets all defective and I can't figure out what the hell is wrong with it. Plus the accuracy is ###### so I need a tightbore. Wonderful.

 

I've got a Desert Warrior sitting around with two mags and a decent holster, I guess I'll use that. Wait, the holster only has a MOLLE mount and I can't buy a SERPA paddle mount without buying the entire mutherfrakking SERPA holster. And I need 1911 mag pouches. Great. More money.

 

That doesn't include the 3-hour, JPY1700 round trip commute to the practice sessions or the JPY3000 entry fee. 

[Ryaw]

I hate to think about how much money I've spent on guns, gear, parts, ammo, gas, game fees etc over the past 6.5 years...........easily over £10,000 I would say, given that I probably spend around £200+ minimum each month (excluding sporadic expensive gun purchases). Very likely closer to £12,000-£15,000!

 

On a 'staying in the game' note, I had a pretty poor night of gaming indoors on Friday. For one, I was playing like a noob, getting frustrated and pee'd off in general. One of my new Breacher's gas tanks wouldn't hold gas after only 1 or 2 game days (£30 wasted if I can't fix it). The site unfairly made an example of a friend for being merely 1.5 FPS (351.5) over limit, sending him home during the 2nd game, which annoyed everyone who heard about it, after he had paid £20 to play and could quite easily have turned his Polarstar down, but wasn't given the chance. Marshals were not too good and fairly uninterested, plus one annoyed some old skool players with blatant blind fire from the hip (because he was bored I heard), which caused them to go home early in disgust. Just a poor atmosphere in general, which is a shame given that I've played 2 previous night games there and enjoyed myself.

 

I ended up heading home in a right downer of a mood, wishing I hadn't bothered playing. I was considering what it would be like, if I was to sell all my gear and jack airsoft for good, given that I was feeling pretty damn bored and uninterested at that point, also frustrated with kit failures and the never-ending expense involved. The thought of playing at local sites just doesn't really generate any excitement in me anymore, as much I do still enjoy playing.......just not massively so. 

 

I think I'm just becoming a bit bored with airsoft these days. It's no longer new and exciting. New guns don't really interest me much, as they all do a similar thing and are all easily prone to failures etc.

So I wonder where I can take my airsoft experience next? I looked at pics of Stirling Airsoft's latest event and it appeared to be a small group of guys walking large distances, carrying massive bergens for camping outdoors, which just looked really dull to me. I really like the idea of trying (A)IPSC shooting competitions, but there's nothing like that in Scotland, so I don't know what would revive my interest just now.

Basically, it's taken me years to accumulate nice guns and gear and I'd never want to go through the process of starting all over again, should I have regretted the decision to quit. Plus, what else would I do........I have no other hobbies. Although, not spending hundreds each month would allow me to travel more, which I'd be interested in doing.

 

Maybe life without airsoft wouldn't be so bad.........would it?

[darkchild130]

I started in 2005 and rocked out pretty much non stop to 2011, then I stopped for three years when I became an anti piracy contractor (not much time spent at home, wanted to spend it with the wife etc)

 

I just got back into it in August 2014, as I've decided to live in the UK again (and become a bum in the process, still can't find a project management job)

Will try and go about once a month from now on.

 

Darkchild

[paranoiddroid]

Pain, money, lack of.energy and interest in general there is a real danger of burning out once the initial shiny newness has passed and a sort of tendency to be somewhat jaded.

[darkchild130]

I find it helps if you totally ignore established teams and site politics.  I'll go anywhere and play with any team, but so many of my mates get caught up in pointless , they get disillusioned and just leave after a period of infighting.

 

Darkchild

[Blink43va]

I have been playing since the early 2000's.  Took a few year break while I was in the Army and got back into playing a little over a year ago.  In my area there are quite a few players that have been playing over 5+ years.  However I still think I am one of the longest playing Airsofters in my area... 

[Azubi]

What was the site, Ryaw?

[Skarclaw]

bits and bobs

 

Interesting post. I don't think it helped having a *suitcase* day's play either. 

 

My advice to you is to sell all but one AEG (I'll explain below) which doesn't have sentimental value and go travelling. It sounds fun. Airsoft bits can be replaced (well, most) but you only get so many opportunities to see the world.

 

After that its up to you. I wouldn't be surprised if after taking a break you get the itch again. Use the AEG you didn't sell and streamline your kit. 

 

As for Milsims this topic here may give you some ideas to mix it up a bit: http://arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/213663-the-middle-ground-not-quite-milsim/

 

I think the general trend is - things lose their novelty.  Its not just airsoft.

 

Case in point a few years ago it was a bit of a faff for my group of mates to meet up with each other. I can remember clear as day the grin across my face driving home on a friday knowing I'd be seeing them. 

 

Now we all live in the same city and I see them sometimes 3x a week. I don't have that grin though -  it's not quite as special.

 

Likewise I don't press my face in the ground quite as hard as when I did when bb's first started flying at me!

[Dentonboy]

A bad site can certainly be enough to make you want to pack it in. AEGs breaking is just about my biggest worry when we go out.

 

My local site went from really fun to really tedious and repetitive in 18 months.

 

Luckily, CSW - although further away - has been consistently good, and ACE Combat which I've discovered and is closer to home and therefore less of an expense to get to, was really promising.

 

I hope that this year, I can do a lot more skirmishing.

[scorch]

The site unfairly made an example of a friend for being merely 1.5 FPS (351.5) over limit, sending him home during the 2nd game, which annoyed everyone who heard about it, after he had paid £20 to play and could quite easily have turned his Polarstar down, but wasn't given the chance. 

 

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but that's the risk you take by trying to push the fps limit to the max. Did he not get chrono checked at the start of the day?

 

We chrono at the start of the day, with a random chrono policy during the day, particularly for gas guns or PTW type guns that can be fast swapped. Any guns over at the start can be taken away and tweaked if possible or banned from use. Any hot guns in the field would be a sending home, the onus being on the player to make sure their gun is site legal and come get checked if there is any doubt, for example when it warms up over the course of the day.

 

I don't think we've had to send anyone home for a hot gun though. We've sent a guy home for threatening behaviour towards a marshal, but not a hot gun.

[Pdubyuh]

Was that the Guy Sam test fired to see if he was taking his hits and instead of shouting "hit" he turned round and offered to fill in who shot him? 

[scorch]

That was the fella.