Don’t get me wrong, I am sick and tired of airsoft cheater videos all over YouTube. As many in the airsoft community agree, while there are cheaters in the hobby/sport, they are a small minority. But in social media, including video sharing platforms, a negative incident tend to get magnified, getting reactions from people who even do not know the whole story. That includes airsoft cheating incidents.

One of the main worries of cheater videos is that it brings disrepute to airsoft, when it is already besieged from other sectors that it should be banned. This is in turn affects businesses such as airsoft fields in which field owners work hard to make sure the game play is honest.

For the case of the Warzone Airsoft & Paintball in the UK is that cheater videos have come to a head that they request players who post cheater videos featuring their game field not to come back. They posted this on Facebook that it has been shared and commented upon by airsoft players:

FILMING AT WARZONE ** IMPORTANT NOTICE **

We've been asked recently about our stance on using cameras for airsoft games so we wanted to state our position on filming videos at warzone airsoft.

As its stands as a site organisor we allow people to film at Warzone, but we want to highlight that there is almost no incentive to let people film at their sites anymore, in fact it comes with some pretty high risks to sites and game organisors.

The problem is we are completely at the mercy of the content creator on what they film, and how they portray that footage about your site or games on social media. Yes, Its really cool to watch creative gameplay footage and how they play your fields. But as youtube has changed, so has the content people are uploading in the hope to gain followers and traffic.

Over the years we have seen players hung out to dry for honest mistakes, airsoft sites reputations destroyed, people leaving bad reviews on sites they have never even visited and even players refusing to attend games due to watching videos that have been manipulated, exaggerated and even faked in the hope of going viral.

The sad truth is cheating is a part of Airsoft that isnt going away any time soon, but its also an extremely small minority in the grand scheme of things, but they are made out to be the majority in this sport thanks to content creators playing an entire day but only making videos about the negative, faking hits markers or branding honest mistakes as cheating. And we think this is a shame as its taints players, sites and the sport we all love as a whole.

So to combat this, Warzone are employing a zero tolorance to Cheater/Negative videos at our site from now on, and if players want to upload and advertise that sort of negative fueled content, we request those players not to return to Warzone Airsoft.

This isnt trying to shy away from problems, we love the sport and we take cheating very seriously and have measures in place to combat this, but we also think fuelling negativity, creating controversy and dividing the airsoft community is just as bad, and if you care about the sport as much as we do, you will want to become part of a positive solution by not being aggressive, letting marshalls know at the time, and also by sending any videos of any problematic players to us instead of posting it online, and we will watch, make our own opinion and deal with it how we see fit.

Again, to reliterate, there is almost no incentive for sites to allow players to film at airsoft games anymore, it now carries a high risk with it, but sites allow it anyway, So dont take advantage of that. Dont be part of the problem, become part of the solution.

A very interesting video about cheat calling:

Thanks WZ

The response is positive, which also reflects that regular airsoft players are fed up with cheater videos, especially the “clickbait” type. This is not the first time the topic about airsoft cheater videos to be discussed openly, such as Jonathan Higgs of Airsoftology:

Generally, the members of the airsoft community agree that cheater videos are something to worry about but also agree that there is no way to stop them. While the airsoft video creators who post such videos may be getting the eyeballs they need to generate some revenues, they may also not realize that their videos are affecting airsoft businesses and the sport overall which in the long run can kill airsoft as we know it. This will in turn, deprive them of their airsoft content creation business.

Airsoft Surplus Store blogged about cheater videos which is a worthwhile read which basically affirms that concerns affecting the business around airsoft:

In conclusion, we’re not huge advocates for the publication of videos on social media that centre around cheating players. In the long run, we think this will likely be damaging to the community as more and more people associate the sport of airsoft with the minuscule percentage of players who cheat. Granted, these are designed to be entertaining, and for the experienced player, they will know that it’s not an everyday occurrence. However, for the newer players that come to the sport, before they have even fired their first BB, they will have it in their minds that players cheat. For the community to continue to grow, this association needs to be cut, rather than strengthened.

For those concerned airsoft content creators on YouTube, there are lots of ways to promote airsoft, as we believe social media is a great instrument in getting more players. No one is stopping you to post cheater videos, even if it will put airsoft in a bad light, as they can be constructive to make the airsoft event more honest and honorable. But before you post, they will have to think twice since it may bring about a decline in business for an airsoft field or even to making false accusations of an airsoft player to be cheating. Being an airsoft player is being an honorable person and making an honest airsoft video is an honorable thing to do.

Top photo from Warzone Airsoft & Paintball on Facebook.