Airsoft is, by definition, a sport simulating which real life combat, with copies of real life firearms - airsoft guns. Several individuals take part in the game, using smoothbore weapons. The game has its origins in Japan, in the late ‘80s, when real weapons were extremely difficult to purchase, because of the local legislation.

Fans of the idea had to look for a different way to fuel their interest. To this day, this type of game is extremely popular in all of Asia, and they manufacture here most guns and accessories. Still, the game is also gaining in popularity within North America, South America and Europe, with the Internet as a great help. It is illegal in the Netherlands - players from this country frequently visit Belgium in order to play.

There are really no preset rules for this game. A few general guidelines are the base, but mostly, players decide on the rules on the spot. What a player does when he hit, as well as other game details depend on whom, how and where is playing the game.

MilSim is practically a rather more elaborate version of airsoft. It does not simply simulate combat, but it also includes a series of more complicated combat situations. Players receive certain missions to accomplish, they form teams, they may have to guard a certain perimeter and they gain experience.

Electricity, gas or spring powers airsoft guns. Frequently, people use small, cheap ones as toys, while the most elaborate ones will fit the rules of the game. They fire small plastic pellets, which are essentially not harmful. In addition, they look like real firearms. Some of the most popular models are those that copy existing weapons from movies and cartoons. In addition, since their appearance is so accurately similar to that of a real fire weapon, people use them quite often for movies as props. Regardless of their way of powering, airsoft guns function on the same principle - compressed gas expands and pushes a BB down the barrel of the gun - but each type of gun has its own downsides and advantages. A distinctive sign all such guns should have is a transparent barrel or an orange tip.

BB guns may seem similar in appearance to airsoft guns, but people never use them as part of combat simulation. They fire at a better range and at a higher velocity. Furthermore, bb guns use steel pellets that can cause serious injuries. Their main use is target shooting or plinking (plinking is also, in a way, target shooting, but it refers to a more unprofessional context - the kind of thing you would see in a carnival, for example), but they are known to be able to cause injuries and even kill people or pets, although cases are very rare.

Eye protection when firing bb guns is essential. Some pellets (this depends on the metal they are made of) bounce off hard surfaces (brick, concrete, etc.) quite easily and may cause serious eye damage, especially since they have the tendency of keeping a large amount of their original energy.

Nowadays, the most common use of bb guns is plinking. However, there have been cases of their use in a more formal, competitive context. The National Rifle Association holds competitions for children aged 8 to 15, and these contests are quite popular among several different youth groups. The regular shooting distance if five meters: the 10-point circle in the middle of the target is just about the size of a BB.

Strangely enough, from a legal point of view, bb guns are under the same legislation as airsoft guns. In some cases, though, people view them as firearms and under different legislation, but generally, they are not powerful enough to cause that much damage.