Maybe you’re an airsoft enthusiast, and you’re wondering if your skills are good enough to make some cash. Is it possible?
You can win money in airsoft tournaments, but you won’t get much. That’s because there aren’t many airsoft tournaments offering significant cash prizes at the moment. Since airsoft tournaments don’t always offer cash prizes, players can’t generate enough revenue to be considered a consistent income.
Keep reading to learn more about airsoft tournaments and why you can’t make much money out of them.
Why You Won’t Make Much From Airsoft Tournaments
Standard airsoft tournaments rarely offer significant cash prizes. Even in big games with cash prizes, first-place awards are usually under $1,000.
It’s much more likely to win money in accuracy-based shooting competitions. Another option is room-clearing competitions, where players attempt to take down targets as fast as they can.
Regardless of what airsoft tournament you participate in, don’t expect to make much money. Even top airsoft players in the world rarely make a living wage from competitions alone.
How Airsoft Is Different From Other Sports
For most popular competitive sports, tournaments are a great way to convert talent into financial gain. However, airsoft competitions don’t generally follow this play-for-pay model, even at the professional level. To understand the reasons, I’ll explain what makes airsoft fundamentally different from other sports.
Airsoft Doesn’t Have a Professional League
Unlike other mainstream sports that have (usually) eponymous national leagues, airsoft does not have an official pro league. This means that an elected professional committee does not organize tournaments.
Instead, local airsoft institutions set the rules for each tournament they hold. Airsoft tournaments are much less regulated than NFL tournaments, for example.
Airsoft Is Driven by an Honor System
Most competitive sports have referees, whose sole purpose is to be a fair judge that ensures cheating doesn’t occur. In airsoft games, this is up to the players to regulate.
Even though the honor system can work among hobbyists playing for fun, it can be problematic at a professional level.
Airsoft Doesn’t Have a Widespread Appeal
Unlike its cousin, paintball, airsoft is not extremely popular or mainstream. The reason for this may be due to the less flashy nature of BB pellets versus paint pellets. It might also be due to the appearance of airsoft weapons, which some say too closely resemble real guns.
Whatever the reason, there are fewer fans of airsoft than mainstream tournament sports. Because of this, there is less revenue to be earned from the sport overall.
How To Maximize Your Airsoft Earnings
While it’s true that making serious money from airsoft tourneys is not a walk in the park, there are still other great ways to make money from the sport.
Sell Airsoft Equipment
One of the best ways to make money in any field is commerce, and airsoft is no exception. If you are looking for a place to start, Craigslist is a great place to buy and sell airsoft equipment.
Also, try familiarizing yourself with people within your local airsoft community. More than likely, they will be your main customers and will help drive your sales.
Offer Airsoft Repair or Upgrade Services
Essentially, you repair or upgrade Airsoft equipment in return for compensation. This is an excellent option if you are experienced with Airsoft equipment.
You can become an airsoft tech even if you aren’t experienced with airsoft equipment. It will take time to learn, but this can be a worthwhile investment.
Create Social Media Content About Airsoft
Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok are fantastic social media platforms for making money in general. You can create content centered around airsoft, then promote your page and collect ad revenue.
Here’s a list of great YouTube channels that focus on airsoft:
- NOVRITSCH, a quintessential airsoft YouTube channel with tons of content, including gun reviews, how-to videos, even general airsoft commentary.
- House Gamers Airsoft, a YouTube channel based in Canada that focuses on entertaining airsoft gameplay videos.
- TheAirsoftTech, a channel that focuses on the more technical aspects of airsoft, and offers many educational videos on how to repair and improve airsoft equipment.
Investing Wisely in Airsoft Products and Equipment
Even if you can’t make tons of money from airsoft tournaments, you can at least save money while playing. It’s essential to manage your airsoft expenses properly.
At less than $50 per game on average, it isn’t expensive to play airsoft. However, you need to invest in good equipment. Without quality equipment and weapons, it may be challenging to succeed at higher levels of play.
More importantly, you may find it difficult to get sponsored at the amateur level if you intend to create an airsoft brand or channel. All in all, you won’t make much money from airsoft if you aren’t willing to invest in it.
Invest in Comfortable and Durable Clothing
For comfortable and combat-suited clothing, I recommend IDOGEAR’s G3 Combat Pants as well as their G3 Combat Shirt from Amazon.com.
IDOGEAR provides quality material that is both comfortable and durable, which is perfect for competitive airsoft.
If these don’t work for you, you can also try YEVHEV’s G3 Combat Tactical Pants or MAGCOMSEN’s Tactical Military Shirts from Amazon.com.
Get High-Quality Protective Gear Set
For gear that keeps you protected from even the most devastating of impacts, try MADDOG’s Padded Tactical Combo Package from Amazon.com.
This set comes with gloves, a padded chest protector, and a neck protector.
Opt for Flexible Weapons and Magazines
I recommend Lancer Tactical’s Gen 2 Upgraded RIS LT 04 with Lancer Tactical’s M4/M16 300 Round Hi-Cap AEG Magazine from Amazon.com for a great starting weapon.
This weapon is exceptionally durable and has easily customizable optics. The magazine is also flexible to most AEG M4s or M16s.
Don’t Forget Your Accessories
Once you are geared up, you may also want additional helpful equipment.
I recommend Arcturus’ Ghost Ghillie Suit for additional camouflage in combat, as well as G4Free’s Outdoor Tactical Backpack, both from Amazon.com. These items will help you take your game to the next level.
Conclusion
Making money in airsoft tournaments is hard, let alone making a reliable living from it. However, with hard work, intelligent investments, and a little ingenuity, you might be the exception to the rule. As with every other passion in life, always remember, never give up!