Why Airsofters Cheat: Rise of the Zombies

(Foto: 365airsoftshop.com)

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ARE the airsofters who still believe that airsoft is a gentleman’s game clinging only to a romanticized view of the sport?

It is often repeated that airsoft relies on the honor system. In fact, this lesson on honesty constitutes one of the very first things that are taught to newbies.

However, everywhere one goes these days, airsoft cheaters just seem to abound.

From the jungles to the urban playgrounds, sighs of “zombie” or “Robocop” could be heard from frustrated airsofters. And the complaints are only mounting.

Cheating in airsoft has become so prevalent and widespread that it is even feared that it has already become part of the sport’s culture.

Could airsoft be emulating soccer where it’s kinda okay to engage in theatrics to draw a foul?

Faking injury is seemingly accepted there as “just part of the game”, and it is rarely punished. Many soccer spectators even laugh off these attempts by players to be dishonest. 

Is this what’s happening to airsoft today?

No matter how airsofters may hate cheaters, the disturbing fact remains that the presence of these non-hit callers has become accepted–even expected–in airsoft fields and game sites.

If one cannot attribute this exponential (??) growth of airsoft zombies to some secret government research project that went awry, airsofters would have to look for other reasons that can explain why the ‘living dead’ are invading airsoft fields and game sites.

Below are the common reasons why many airsofters just can’t seem to call their hits:

(Foto: riftairsoft.com)

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Prolonging the ‘High’

There is no question that playing airsoft gives one a rush. It’s like a drug. However, getting touched by a bb means coming down from that oh-so-good ‘high’. Cheaters do not want to do that. Thus, they refuse to acknowledge getting hit, and continue playing.

Prolonging Game Time

Airsoft is an expensive sport. Aside from shelling out money for guns and gear, one still has to pay registration or entrance fees just to be able to play. Factor in the sacrifices made just to be free on Sundays, and players would naturally want to stay in the game as long as possible. Getting hit so early in the game means to sit out the rest of one’s very expensive recreation time. Thus, cheaters continue playing to get their money and time’s worth.

(Foto:thefwoosh.com)

The Need to Impress

So, who does not want to get congratulatory pats on the back or be called ‘The Man’? Airsoft cheaters are secretly building their own legends so they will be held in esteem by their buddies. Thus, they pretend not to have felt that bb just to be able to penetrate the enemy’s defenses and blow them all away. (What an action hero!)

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The Lure of the Big W

The honor and glory of becoming champion is sought by any airsoft team. However, some teams have members who work for that dream the wrong way.  Thus, many cheaters develop thick skin just to give their team an advantage during competitions.

Marshal‘s Call Doctrine Prone to Abuse

It’s true that the Marshal’s call is final, especially in CQB/Speedball. If the marshal does not call a player out, that player can validly continue playing despite already being hit. A lot of cheaters take advantage of this rule. Some even arrogantly tell opponents who complain that they should, instead, blame the marshals for being blind.  Thus, voluntarily calling one’s hits is increasingly becoming the exception rather than the rule in games.

Mask for the serial airsoft cheater. (Foto: gerogriniaris.blogspot.com)

Lack of Morals

This is the number one reason why people cheat in the first place. There are airsoft players who seem to lack the ability to tell right from wrong. Thus, they lie through their teeth even when it was plain clear to everyone that they were hit.

Studies have shown that people lie or cheat even when they knew it was wrong.

So, the question is not so much if people could tell right from wrong, but more of “when is it ok or not ok to lie?”

Many airsofters  obviously grapple with this question every time they play, and a lot obviously make adjustments to their honesty levels depending on the situation.

Still a few more boldly declare that honesty is the best policy in airsoft, but they cheat on their wives or girlfriends and lie to their superiors at work just to be able to play.

To be able to play airsoft honorably, an airsofter should be a honest in everything he does and be a real gentleman on and off the field.

Now, that’s a tall order.

How to be an Effective Airsoft Marshal

(Foto: Alex Orbegoso)

NO MATTER what the reasons may be for fists to fly at airsoft tournaments, the problem could almost always be traced back to the airsoft marshal and how he performed his job. The moment the marshal loses control over the players, the game immediately becomes chaotic and ripe for trouble.

To avoid controversy, and ruining airsoft events, airsoft teams who want to host tournaments should make sure that the marshals they field unto the game site know the basics of How to be an Effective Airsoft Marshal.

iliganairsoft is compiling here a list of the basics of Airsoft Marshaling that is supplemented with interviews with airsofters who have played the sport for years or have been part of a team that hosted successful tournaments in the past.

[Note: The word ‘Marshal’ as used here refers to the umpires or referees that officiate airsoft games.]

The Basics Of How To Be An Effective Airsoft Marshal

Be an Airsofter First. Thoe Sanday, co-founder of the Cotabato Airsofters United (CAU) of Cotabato City, says that the advantage of using airsofters as marshals is that “alam na nila kung ano ang tama at hindi [they already know what is right or wrong]”. Non-airsofters would be more concerned about the pain than watching out for hits, he said. “Non-airsofters also do not understand the game and its rules, like the 5-meter rule, knife kill, etc. that they will fail to anticipate hits and protect players,” Sanday said.

Wear White/Use Reflectors. Alex Cruz, a.k.a. Bandit, of G.I. Janes and the CEO of Bandit Airsoft in Hong Kong says that a marshal, who has to be in the game site to be able to see hits (and thus, in the line of fire), should be easy to spot and recognizable to players. [This way, he doesn’t get shot at (well… at least, not unnecessarily).]

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Wear Protection. To be a marshal means to get hit. Lloyd Alvarez of Team BRATT from Tubod, Lanao Norte says a marshal cannot do his job properly if he is too busy trying to avoid getting hit, like turning his back or moving off to a safer distance where he cannot see clearly. A marshal should always wear the proper body armor so he may do his job properly,” he said.

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Bring a Shield. A shield is a very good tool that affords a marshal added protection. Redeemer “Cocoy” Batoy of RAM Iligan says that a piece of plywood is usually the material of choice for this purpose. “The shield is extremely useful when fetching hit players who are trapped under heavy fire,” he said.

Foto: airsoftretreat.com

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Use a Flag on Stick. Alfritz Ermac of Team COYS from Iligan City recommends employing a stick that is as tall as a person (depends on the user) with a flag that can be used as an extension of the marshal’s arm. “Instead of approaching a player, the marshal can just use the stick (not to hit the player w/) to block the hit player’s view to signal that he is out,” Ermac said. [Remember, an airsoft game site is very noisy and sometimes a player cannot hear a marshal call them out.]

Foto: theflagshop.co.uk

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Observe the 1:1 Ratio (as much as possible) . Jerome Tare of PAGI, the veteran airsoft team from Pagadian City, says that the ideal ratio of marshals to players is 1:1. This ensures there are enough eyes on the field to cover everybody. [If this is not possible, a marshal may watch two or three players as long as they are within his vantage view. It is preferable that his view intersects with the view of another marshal in this case — iliganairsoft.]

1:1 is the ideal ratio of marshals to players. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Mind Assigned Zone. A marshal should focus on his area of responsibility. The failure of the marshal to spot hits on players who are close or directly in front of him because he was too busy watching other players on other locations could infuriate the players and the audience alike [Iliganairsoft].

A marshal should watch players in his assigned zone, and not look elsewhere. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Don’t be Eagle-Eyed. Calling out hits on players who are not in your assigned zone or are far away, like on the other side of the game site can cause problems as players will tend to challenge these calls. In fact, even the assigned marshals for those areas might overrule such “eagle-eyed” calls, which results to more confusion [Iliganairsoft].

Calling hits on players who are far away and not in a marshal’s assigned zone is discouraged. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Such marshal should, instead, call the attention of his fellow marshal who is assigned to the area of concern and inform him to watch the “player of interest” closely. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Run-Down Violators. It is common for many players to intentionally or unintentionally not hear being called out, and, instead, run farther down the field (and away from the marshal who saw them get hit) despite being already “dead”. This can present a host of new problems as marshals in the new area where the “dead” player enters would not know that he was already “dead”. Marshals should be quick to react as this is a potential flash point as opposing players would certainly protest angrily about it. A marshal worth his salt should immediately chase after the erring player, physically restrain him (when necessary), and escort him out. If it’s clear that the player ignored the call, a yellow card should be in order. Some host teams punish this act severely by issuing the red card regardless of the player’s reasons [Iliganairsoft].

Marshals should chase after hit players, and escort them out. Players who intentionally ignore being called out should be penalized. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Anticipate Hits. This is part of being proactive. Hiroshi Kitane of Team ARMADA, whose team has co-hosted several tournaments in Cagayan de Oro, says that a marshal should take the initiative and protect players and prevent them from getting unnecessarily hit and injured. Anticipating hits is best illustrated in overrun scenarios where a player may have his back turned or is otherwise unaware, and the opposing player is already rounding the corner or approaching fast and ready to shoot. Clearly, there is no way for the former to avoid getting hit, so, the marshal should block (preferably w/ the shield) the unaware player and shout “hit” while signaling to or waiving off the approaching opponent that there was no more need for him to actually shoot the other player. [Note: The overrun scenario is the powder keg for airsoft brawls.]

Anticipating hits is for the protection of players. Marshals should always be proactive and alert, and prevent players from unnecessarily getting hurt. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Employ Bouncer-Marshals. This is a different type of marshal whose sole job is not to watch for hits, but to pull out players who have been declared hit. Like bouncers at an entertainment club, bouncer-marshals should be big and strong as they are expected to bodily remove difficult or troublesome players. It is recommended that there should be four bouncer-marshals stationed on either side of the game site [iliganairsoft].

Bouncer-Marshals should wear the proper protection. Foto: michellehenry.fr

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When in Doubt, Draw. At times it’s extremely difficult to tell who shot who first, like when two players are very close to each other and both are claiming they hit the other. Since a marshal needs to be snappy in making decisions, the best solution is to declare a draw (where both players are declared hit). It’s a win-win solution. If it was two players (on the attack) versus only one opponent, and they were all firing at each other, the solution is to declare a draw between one of the two players attacking and their lone opponent [Iliganairsoft].

Regardless of who pulled the trigger a split-second faster, when a marshal is confronted by a situation like this, he should declare a draw. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Know the Solid Cover Rule. This is another scenario where it’s difficult to tell who shot who first. Merrill Sajonia, a range officer and founder of Team COYS from Iligan City, says that when a player is shooting from behind a solid cover at opponents who are rushing him but are out in the open, it is only logical to assume that those in the open (who are exposed) were the ones who got hit.

This is a scenario where an attacking player is out in the open and his opponent is “mounted” or behind a solid cover. If the marshal did not see who got hit, the presumption always lies against the player who is exposed. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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From this angle, the attacking player is clearly exposed. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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This angle shows how small a target the “mounted” player is. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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[Two against one who is behind solid cover. Both attackers are hit.]

To declare the “mounted” player hit just because there are two attackers coming at him is controversial in airsoft. The “mounted” player has less chances of getting hit as he is offered protection by his cover. The attackers on the other hand are out in the open and exposed, and therefore, prone to getting hit. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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[However, if “mounted” player follows the first attacker w/ his gun, the 2nd attacker is risk-free.]

The “mounted” player can be called out when he continues shooting at the first attacker and the second attacker arrives. Most of the time, a draw is declared between the first attacker and the “mounted” player. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Don’t Tolerate Use of Human Shield. The use of a human shield is a practice that is being discouraged in airsoft as it can result to chaotic play. Besides, when a player uses a team mate as a shield, the opposing team shoots them all, nonetheless. In real life, the human shield would have tumbled and died already (not continue to run a few more feet) and expose the person hiding behind [Iliganairsoft].

Shrewd player uses team mate and marshal as cover. Players who do this should be penalized as it is an unfair practice. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Neutralize Explosive Scenarios. This is where the number of marshals on the field and their presence of mind becomes a huge factor. Recognizing trouble before it actually happens and physically placing oneself immediately in between opposing players allows the marshal to stop a fight from happening.  At the first sign of trouble, marshals should act immediately and grab players and escort them out. All available marshals within the area should swarm on the players and prevent them from getting close or even saying anything to each other.

Marshals should prevent hot-headed players from approaching each other. Instead, they should immediately grab the players and escort them out. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Know the Blind Fire Rule. There are a couple of schools of thought for blind firing in airsoft. The first one is rather conservative and considers firing a gun above head or eye-level as blind firing. The second one does not. According to J.P. Bansuelo of the veteran airsoft tournament organizer, Iligan Airsoft Gamers (ILAGA), firing a gun above head or eye-level is okay as long as the player has a clear line of sight to his target. “It should be allowed especially when the player is exposing his head or portion of his body while firing,” he said. What’s important here is that the host team choose which school of thought to subscribe to and announce this to the participants of their tournament.

Blind firing is shooting without a clear line of sight to the target while not exposing the head or torso — iliganairsoft. (Foto: lemt.by)

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Be Professional. A marshal should not be biased. He should not favor any team and give them tips on the sly during a game. Merrill Sajonia of Team COYS says that a marshal should not prosecute teams he dislikes by calling non-hits or imputing imaginary violations on them. “Whimsical and capricious calls should be avoided as these are unfair to players who have spent money and travelled distances just to play at the tournament,” Sajonia said.

Be Consistent/In Control. A marshal’s decision is final, and should not be allowed to be challenged (except through a valid process, like when it is coursed through a grievance committee). According to Luis Cruz of the Iligan Airsoft Gamers (ILAGA), once a call has already been made, such marshal making the call should stand by it, and the other marshals should support it. To waver at this point is to invite challenges to the host team’s credibility. “The marshals should appear to be in control of the game at all times. Bad calls are normal in airsoft; and to be indecisive would diminish the respect that players would have for the marshals,” Cruz added. [Consistency also includes not overruling another marshal’s decision. The only one who is allowed to overrule a call is the head marshal, and only for the most compelling of reasons.]

Marshals taking a break. (Foto: Alfritz Ermac)

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Host teams should remember that airsoft is a game of aggression and that bbs do hurt a lot. Toss in the issue of money seemingly wasted on the registration fees, ammo supply, and gasoline for vehicles, and host teams should not act surprised as to why many players tend to become hot-headed during games.

The effects of ugly incidents at games reach outside the game site as well. Relationships between teams sour. That means such teams will no longer play at each other’s tournaments, and could potentially come to blows whenever they play each other in the future.

However, knowing the basics to being an effective airsoft marshal should help teams host a successful airsoft tournament free of controversy or fights.

By nipping potential trouble right in the bud due to the pro-activeness and professionalism of the marshals, and their being in control of the game at all times, participating teams would toe the line and respect the rules.

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[iliganairsoft would like to thank J.P. Bansuelo and Team ILAGA (Iligan Airsoft Gamers) for the use of the venue for the photoshoot. Thanks also to photographer, Al Fritz Ermac, for doing the shoot, and to Merrill Sajonia and the members of Team COYS (Jovanie, Syben, Buloy, Louie, Rory, Plongplong) for supporting this project.]