LARPing Our Way Into the Old West with Airsoft
“Yeehaw! There's gold in them hills!”
I fondly remember playing “cowboys” as a kid; first using sticks as a placeholder for our six-shooters, then moving up to water guns or Nerf. But back then, Nerf guns never lasted long … they were relatively expensive, inaccurate, and we were always losing the darts. Myself, along with my brothers and cousins would act out westerns in the woods behind the house and I always thought that I could best them in a showdown. But it’s so hard to prove with stick guns!
Imagine my delight when I discovered airsoft, a game where you can still play pretend, but it also involves the use of realistic replicas and accurate, non-lethal projectiles. My happiness was doubled when a company started manufacturing six-shooters and lever action rifles. Western dreams really do come true!
I have always wanted to play in a Wild West themed airsoft game - down to even co-hosting one almost a decade ago. My husband and I purchased a bunch of cheap spring-powered revolvers just so we could host a game and invite all of our friends to play pretend with us for a day. It was fun, but man, it would have been even more fun using replicas of old west firearms!
Airsoft Live Action Role Playing– Side Quest to a Great Time!
Last year, I got the opportunity to attend a two-day open world airsoft event at Ballahack Airsoft in Chesapeake, Virginia. Think of it as playing Red Dead Redemption in real life. The field had strict rules about what airsoft guns you could use - single action only! Everything had to be western themed. Players had to earn their keep in the town - from fishing, to mining, to hunting - there were all kinds of side quests to collect 11 different kinds of coins in order to win the coveted golden medallion.
Live Action Role-Play, or LARPing, as it is commonly known, is starting to make its way into the airsoft sphere - bringing with it an entirely new and immersive way to play the game. The ability to host games based around a more open-world style theme of playing allows airsofters to truly play out their fantasies in real life. After all, airsoft is a big game of playing pretend, why not make the most of it? We always like to talk about what it would be like to play video games in real life, or to act out movies, or even to see just how difficult it really is to pull off those John Wayne movies. Thanks to replica airsoft guns, we can do just that!
If You Are Reading This– It’s For YOU!
I had so much fun pretending to be a hero from the Old West, along with the added benefit of being able to take a shower and sleep in a comfortable bed after the games were over. We all know it’s fun to fantasize about playing all the fun parts of a western movie, but not having to give up our modern amenities at the end of the day really sells it for me. The other benefit of these open-world style LARP games is that anyone can do it! Old or young, any gender, any body type can play this style of airsoft. It’s ultra-inclusive and brings all sorts of new players into the hobby - and we all know that new players are the foundation for the longevity of airsoft.
Players at Ballahack Airsoft were able to come up with all kinds of costumes, characters, and backstories to fill the town and the narrative of the Wild West world. This style of gameplay allows for more creativity and imagination in the world of airsoft, allowing the hobby to grow even more exponentially into the mainstream world. In the world of airsoft, if you dream it, you truly can do it.
