Airsoft, despite being a wargame, is actually one of the safest sports around. Boxing, wrestling, full-contact martial arts, and even something non-combative sports like gymnastics can actually cause more physical pain and damage to health than airsoft.
In airsoft, physical contact between players is not allowed except as a form of "courtesy/simulated knife-kill" when a gentle tap by a player's hand means that the tapped player has been "stabbed or slashed" with a bladed weapon.
Thus the only thing that comes into contact with a player are the flying BB ammunition. If a player wears the prescribed protective goggles and protective clothing, he or she will not suffer any damage, except when shot at point-blank distance. Shooting another player excessively, especially at point-blank range, can get a player ejected from the game.
Another advantage of airsoft is that it allows men and women, as well as children and adults, to play against each other on equal footing. Each player just uses his physical agility and desterity to move his or her body in the right manner (aiming, avoiding hits, and moving around) but does not have to use superior strength to overpower an opponent.
Children do not need special consideration except that they should wear adequate skin and head protection and must be watched so that they won't remove their eye protection at any time. They can shoot just as well as the adults, and sometimes better. Women can display their higher level of agility and dexterity to offset the endurance and strength of the men.
Airsoft is a good way for siblings and cousins to have fun together as a group. They can learn how to play without causing pain or bad feelings on their peers. Airsoft also requires that the players show respect and honesty to each other by admitting that they were hit. If a player cheats, his or her peers will get to know it immediately. They and their elders can then mold his or her behavior using stricter methods so that teens and children will become respectable adults.
Despite being a "wargame," airsoft requires player to act as gentle and noble persons with great character and dignity or the activity will degenerate into an ugly brawl. Ungentlemanly conduct and unfair or dishonest play can easily be spotted and corrected as long as the players and the marshals are strict in enforcing the rules.
A day of airsoft, even if strenuous and tiring, can provide a higher level of excitement, a meaningful level of interpersonal bonding, and a deeper level of communication between friends and family members. Airsoft is not just good for the body, it's also good for the soul, but it also can become a good influence on the community, especially if it's values of honesty, fair play, and safety can be ingrained into everyday acts.
