Airsoft
 Airsoft players defending an objective. | |
| First played | Early 1970s in Japan |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Dependent on ruleset |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | MilSim, Live action role-playing game, team sport, outdoor and indoor sports |
| Equipment | Airsoft guns, airsoft pellets, goggles |
| Venue | Varies between outdoor (fields or woods) and indoor |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
Airsoft, also known as survival game in Japan, is a shooting sport in which players use airsoft guns to tag opponents with plastic airsoft pellets. Airsoft originated in Japan in the early 1970s from realistic model guns originally developed for target shooting. It spread to Europe and North America in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is now played worldwide.
Unlike paintball, airsoft pellets do not leave visible marks, so the sport relies heavily on an honor system in which players acknowledge being hit. Airsoft is played in a variety of formats, including skirmishes, close quarters battle games, military simulations, and historical reenactments, on indoor and outdoor fields.
Airsoft guns resemble real firearms and are used for military simulation and historical reenactment; they have also been adopted for military and law enforcement training.