[Legs]

Matt, it isn't the gear as much as the players.  Niether sport HAS to be one way or the other, but in general airsofters tend to be far more interested in training and realism than in filling the air with paint.  You can play MilSim scenarios with paintball guns.  They have much greater range and accuracy.  Airsoft does have the advantage of being far less messy and the ammo is immensely cheaper.  Basically, paintball evolved into what it is today, and airsoft is still being built.  It's easier to "run airsoft right" than it is to change paintball back to the way it used to be, so most of us are here for that reason.

[azsarge]

I think the best way to decide which is for you is to play a few games of each.  With accuracy in mind, I find paintball to have far less accurcy with the average paintball gun (marker, lol) than with an average airsoft gun.  I used to play paintball, and find airsoft a much more challenging and exciting experience.  The realism is unparalleled, and the tactics are sound, real-life based actions.  There is no comparision.  It's like comparing wakeboarding to mountain biking.  Two different crowds, two different mindsets, two different styles of play.  Legs summarized it very well.

[Paco]

http://www.airsoftarizona.com/newbie_st ... ie_faq.htm

[Automagman]

I do both, but since paintballing put such a damper in my wallet i had to find an alternative.  They both have their ups and downs.  I dont like one any more than the other.

[TheRev]

I used to play paintball back in the days when the marker was made by a company called "Nellspot" and all you had was a bolt action pistol that held a plastic test tube full of 10 .68 cal paintballs. The object of the game then was tactics. Everybody had the same gun. You had to pick your shots. The game just went downhill from there (that was 1982). To me, there is no comparison. The modern version of paintball has degenerated into a fashion show of who has the prettiest gun, or can shoot the most paint. It's still basically "Capture the Flag". Airsoft offers so much more in terms of appeal. The guns are basically the same (although they look different on the outside, internally they still are the same - less mods). What I really enjoy the most about airsoft isn't so much the gaming (although thats alot of fun too), it's the commraderie. The making of new friends. It's the opportunity to be with quality people who have similar likes. As a Minister of the Gospel I have many opportunities to meet all sorts of people. Rarely (even in Christian circles) have I met more honest, honorable and kind people than I have in the airsoft community. This is not flattery. The game demands it! Honor is at the core of what we do. In paintball, you are dead when a paintball "marks" you. In airsoft, there is no mark. You are on your honor to call your hit and take yourself out of the game. This core belief is what differentiates the airsofter from the paintballer. To me, and this is just my opinion here, we in the airsoft community hold ourselves to a higher standard. This is why I love the game.

TheRev

[Harley]

The Rev nailed it!  That's the difference, "Honor is at the core of what we do."

[Legs]

I don't at all disagree, but I wanted to point out that isn't the game or the gear...it's the guy. (or gal).  You tend to find more of them in airsoft, no doubt, but honest people will be honest no matter what they are shooting.

[azsarge]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by TheRev</i>
<br />In airsoft, there is no mark. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Tell that to Pancho and I!

Oh, and I thought of a simpler interpretation of paintball vs airsoft.  

"Paintball Sucks!  Airsoft Doesn't!"

[Raven1]

Exactly Rev!  You can really tell when you are out on the field and see who plays the game because they love it.  Not for the fashion show; because what he wears comes from necessity from conquests lost because your kit failed you!  But now everything is in place and reaching for something is as natural as scratching you nose and now it is PERFECT For You!  Not for the modded to the hilt gun; and the only reason it looks so cool is because everything on it has purpose and never really realise until after awhile everyone is telling what good looking steal you wield.  But mainly because damn it, my bb needs to get to you faster, straighter and before your BB gets to me!

Airsofting is better because the guy playing right next to you makes it better.  Come out and play to see for yourself and you'll feel it or not.  The game attracts certain types but not all types are attracted to airsoft,,,

[TheRev]

AZSarge Post's (Tell that to Pancho and I!)

What a crybaby![] I remember getting wacked by a .68 caliber painball right in the left cheek from a distance of three feet one time. I had a two inch laceration and a welt the size of a golf ball. The scar is still there to remind me [B)]. Just kidding Christian. But seriously though, there is just no comparing the two sports. Don't get me wrong, I got involved in paintball while I was still in the Army. It provided a great outlet for my buddies and I to blow off steam, and practice our craft. That was at a time when paintball was still considered a paramilitary type game (read "boys going out and playing army" here). So, at the time, I really liked it. The appeal however, started to fade when the game became more commercialized and the weaponry became more stylized. Kids were running around with guns that layed a horrendous barrage of paint into the air, but had no thought of planning or tactics. Whoever threw the most paint won. I see this to some degree even in airsoft. Hi-cap magazines make support weapons out of M4's. I see this at most games, and while most AA members have learned to control their fire and be more precise in their shooting, it's still tempting for some to turn their guns into bullet hoses. Still, all in all, it's a far cry better than the modern day paintball games. I love this game for too many other reasons than to let the occasional "technical innacuracy" to keep me from playing it. <b>Standard mags are the way to go!!!</b> There, I said it.

TheRev

[Mattimus]

Ok besides the realisum factor, what makes airsoft so much better? i hear the guns dont hurt as bad, and they arnt very accurate.. I was just wondering what makes airsoft better then paintballing...and how accurate the guns are when they are stock...anwsers to these questions would be awesome, and if anyone has AIM then then can instant message me my screen name is Mattequalsgood...i have a buncha questions about it, if anyone could help me that would be awesome