Whilst we spend a good amount of money in our hobby and want to have it as a full blown sport, we are still nowhere to that level that airsoft is to be considered a sport that gives a big payday. So far, those who are having a big payday with airsoft are the manufacturers, retailers, game sites, and a sprinkling of airsoft YouTubers.

If you, as an airsofter want to earn money shooting other people in a competitive manner, for now, the only way is through video games. eSports shooter games such as Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege have turned into big money events. Some prizes run into millions and players get the chance to earn over 6 figures just playing their favourite shooter game.

But to turn one video game into a big eSports event is a combination of players who either are influencers via their social media channels, a player managing an eSports team, or the player who is at the frontline battling it out for the prize money and bragging rights at being one of the best in the world at eSports. Together with the support of the video game company, they push an event in eSports on one of the biggest gaming titles on the planet.

In the case of Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft unveiled during the E3 2018, their documentary called “Another Mindset” as they celebrate a milestone of having 35 million Siege players:

Two and a half years after its release, Rainbow Six Siege is 35 million players strong. Content creation is at an all-time high and the esports scene is now entering a state of maturity. As the game and the community keep growing together, we took some time to reflect upon some of its famous members.

During 9 months, we followed 8 community members in their daily lives and at Rainbow Six events, from the Pro League finals at GamesCom 2017, to the finals in Sao Paulo, and finally to the Six Invitational 2018. They are professional players, coaches, managers, commentators, analysts or Twitch streamers. To their families, they are Alexis, Nicolle, Niklas, Thomas, Alex, Niclas, Andre and Maciej; but to millions of Rainbow Six fans, they are Lil_Lexi, CherryGumms, Willkey, Shas, Z1ronic, Pengu, Meligeni and Macie_Jay. How did gaming become more than an entertainment for them? These are the stories of those with another mindset.

It is interesting to watch the documentary which will be released next month. Can we learn something from this documentary to make airsoft a lucrative sport for serious airsoft players rather than be a constant money drain that sometimes affects relationships with friends and family? For airsoft manufacturers, it is something to learn from the eSports, which is a familiar area for many airsofters as a big percentage are gamers themselves.

Airsoft being a sport that awards generously is still a distant dream. Sorry, our dear players, shooting and earning prize money is via the digital realm for now until a formula can be found for airsoft. Below is a teaser for Episode 1 s0 we can all look forward to full release of the documentary in August 2018: