I’ve been playing airsoft for many years now. I’ve played at a lot of fields; I’ve attended out of state events and even played outside of my home country.
Even so, myself along with most airsoft players started
playing their first games right in their backyard. Even today I still love playing
private games with my friends in our backyards. There are many steps to setting
up a good backyard game, and it’s important to do it right for safety reasons
as well as having fun. Here’s my checklist for preparing the best backyard
games:
Make sure it’s a safe area.
Before we start talking about setting up a game, the first thing to do is make sure the location works. The main requirement for playing airsoft somewhere is that no outsiders will walk onto your field unexpectedly.
This is a must, because they will not have eye protection and could get you into a lot of legal trouble if anything went wrong. People will generally assume that an airsoft rifle is real, as they don’t know any better.
This means stay away from public parks, hiking trails, or empty parking lots. You should only play on your own private land, or land that belongs to another player. Stay away from main roads or anywhere else you could attract unwanted attention. If your location meets these requirements, we can move on to the next step:
Play games with simple and well-defined rules.
Before players begin to show up for your game, it’s good to have an idea of what the games will look like beforehand. Will your games have infinite respawns? Does the game end after a certain amount of time, or after a certain objective is completed? In a smaller space, you may need to incorporate respawn timers to make successful hits more rewarding.
It’s important to set a clear objective. Is the goal to eliminate the enemy team? Or maybe to capture a flag, or defuse a “bomb”? Come up with a clear rule set beforehand, so that when players show up there will not be confusion about how the game will be played.
Discuss safety beforehand.
This one is very important. Make sure that before anyone starts doing any shooting, you make sure that every player knows the basic rules of gun safety. This means always treating a gun as if it is loaded. Don’t point at anything you are not willing to shoot. Be aware of what’s in front of and behind your target. For more details on airsoft safety, check out this video:
Generally, we tend to allow safety to lapse the most when we are hanging out with friends. The more we ignore the basic rules of gun safety, the higher chance there is of someone being hurt. Every player should hold each other accountable when there is a breach of safety, and if someone isn’t willing to follow the rules, airsoft might not be right for them. Stay on top of safety, so that you can continue having fun and the sport continues to flourish while maintaining a good reputation.For more information about airsoft safety, check out this video:
Keep it casual and have fun.
Finally make sure that everyone is having fun. Lead by example and be a good sport. It’s not worth fighting over whether or not someone is hit. Likewise, when someone chooses to cheat it ruins the game for everyone. Always be honest, and give people the benefit of the doubt if you’re unsure if you hit them. If you’re playing all day, it’s worth having snacks around for your players!
Some of my best airsoft memories are from playing backyard games with my friends. Let’s keep playing fun airsoft games while keeping them safe. If you follow these guidelines, everyone is sure to have a great time!
If any of your friends want to join your backyard game and
need basic equipment and a gun, tell them to check out our starter kits. They
offer the best value for someone just getting into the sport! Click this link
to check out our kits:
Do you live near Parker Colorado? Check out our field and plan your visit!