History and culture

Airsoft was born in Japan in the 1970s. The country was very strict about the possession of firearms, so those passionate about replicas and shooting sought a way to train and collect without real weapons.

1. 01

   A very strict legal framework

   With the possession of firearms limited, a market for replicas has developed: rocket guns, ball replicas, realistic reduced models.

2. 02

   Replica of modelists

   The first replicas pulling plastic balls come from manufacturers of model models. They were spring (definition)-operated, hand-armed, or with an external gas tank.

3. 03

   From shooting to the game

   The target shot left room for the game: to face each other by teams with these replicas, relying on everyone's honour to announce their keys.

4. 04

   A growing practice

   Led by enthusiasts and manufacturers, the activity then spread outside Japan, with its fields, teams and events.

Replies have changed a lot since the beginning, and each step has opened the game to new players.

1. 01

   Spring and gas

   The first replicas asked to arm by hand or recharge a gas tank: one shot at a time, a slow pace.

2. 02

   The AEG, early 1990s

   Japanese manufacturer Tokyo Marui (definition) launches the electric replica, with a FAMAS F1 model. An engine, a battery and a burst of fire: it is it that makes the game accessible to many more people.

3. 03

   Gas, for realism

   The gas and mobile head (GBB (definition)) replicas develop for the feeling of fire and the realistic mechanism, at the cost of a sensitivity to cold and a more monitored maintenance.

4. 04

   The HPA, for accuracy

   The high-pressure compressed air provides regular fire and fine power adjustment, at the cost of heavier equipment to wear.

5. 05

   Better organized players

   Over (definition) time, permanent terrain, teams and associations structure the practice: security briefings, chronographs, regular parts.

Paintball is the best known cousin of airsoft. He was born in the United States: the first game was played on 27 June 1981 in Henniker, New Hampshire, with twelve players, to capture flags. The markers used were originally used to identify cattle or trees, and the first commercial land opened in 1982.

Other outdoor or indoor activities look like airsoft without being in it. Locating them helps you choose and understand what you are being offered.

• Laser game

  Infrared transmitters replace projectiles: no ball, keys detected by sensors. It is the most accessible and less physical activity.

• Life-size role play

  Players embody characters in a story, with fake weapons and little or no shooting. The scenario counts more than confrontation.

• Sports shooting

  Here, we aim at a target with a real or compressed-air weapon, in a federal setting: it is the shooting, not the team game, that is at the center.

Milsim (definition) is the abbreviation of military simulation: a military simulation played by civilians. Unlike a Sunday party made of short sleeves, it reproduces the atmosphere and organization of an operation (definition), sometimes for a whole weekend.

• Long term

  From 12 hours to several days, with few breaks: the game continues from day to night.

• Logistics

  Camps, meals, transportation, supplies and communication are part of the game.

• A scenario

  Missions, objectives and hierarchy replace the simple part in sleeves: each has a role.

• Commitment

  Large events often set entry conditions: equipment, experience, preparation.

Some players do not seek efficiency but authenticity: they reproduce a period of military history, from holding to replicas, and play scenes or battles in this spirit.

Beyond the replicas, the airsoft is a community: teams that train together, grounds held by enthusiasts and events where you find the same faces from one season to another.

• Fair play: announcing its touch is the founding rule of the game
• Respect: players, organizers and the field
• Help: lend equipment, welcome new ones
• Security first: the first reflex of all players