So, you have been having lots and lots of fun playing Airsoft, and most of the players you have encountered are really nice and honest people. But you have also heard frightening rumors of people called “cheaters.” Or maybe you’ve had the misfortune of meeting one. And now you want to know, more precisely, what a cheater is.

A cheater is Airsoft is fundamentally no different than a cheater in any other game. It’s a person who seeks an unfair edge on the playing field. Although the specifics of what constitutes “cheating” will depend on the sort of Airsoft game being played, different general “cheater types” can be identified by thinking through the various activities that are usually involved in any Airsoft match. These include not owning up to getting “hit,” not using regulation Airsoft weaponry, not remaining within licit boundaries, and so on.

In this article, I will tell you what a cheater is, the different types of cheater, and what to do once you discover a cheater.

Definitions

First, it can be helpful to know what exactly a cheater is.

Of course, the basic overall definition, according to Google, is: a person who acts dishonestly in order to gain an [unfair] advantage. By “unfair advantage,” I simply mean getting closer to winning through some deceptive or unscrupulous means. If the objective of an Airsoft game is to kill twenty enemies, then the cheater might merely pretend to kill the enemies, instead of actually killing them.

“Cheater” Is also (according to me) defined as: People who do things that are against the rules.

That is basically all you need about what a cheater IS.

If you do not know what to look for, you will have a very hard time ridding the game of those who would cheat.

In an important sense, then, you can get a good sense for what constitutes cheating by being fully aware of the “Rules of Airsoft” (for more on which, click to read my article HERE).

Cheater Types

Secondly, you are going to want to know the different types of cheater. Make sure you have your eyes peeled for any of these types of cheaters.

• Most cheaters in Airsoft are people who simply do not call their hits when they are shot. They will most likely flinch, as if they feel the shot, and they know that they are getting hit, but they do not really care. If a player that you just shot doesn’t flinch, shoot them a couple more times.[1]

If the player continues to not call their hits and is visibly aware of the fact that they are getting shot, then it is fair to call him or her a cheater.

• Another type of cheater is someone who will use a weapon that is not good for use in Airsoft (for example, they might use a sniper with an FPS that is too high for shooting people with) in order to get kills from farther away.
• A cheater might also say that he/she shot you, when they really didn’t. There really isn’t much that you can do about this one, and you are just going to have to play it cool. This type of cheater is arguably the rarest, and you may never encounter this kind of cheater, but always be prepared.
• Another rather uncommon type of cheater is a cheater who will go places they shouldn’t go to snag some easy kills – or to avoid an engagement. For example, a cheater might go and hide under a table, even after being told that no one is allowed to hide under anything in the arena. They might also go outside of the arena boundaries (“out of bounds”).
• In most game modes, the moderator will start the game with a countdown. Sometimes, a player will start early. This is also considered cheating.
• In some game modes, when you die, you can respawn. You do, however, have to wait for a certain amount of time before respawning. As you have probably guessed, some people don’t wait the full amount of time. They will “Quick Spawn,” in order to get back into the game faster.
• Another type of cheater is a player who will go over to the enemy spawn point and shoot the enemy players right as they come out, or when they are still inside.
• You may also have to contend with cheaters who will shoot friendly players (i.e., players who are on his or her own team). The term for shooting a teammate is “Friendly Fire.” It is important to note that friendly fire itself is not illegal, if it is accidental. These people, however, are doing it on purpose, and are therefore considered cheaters. This type of cheating doesn’t really gain the cheater anything, but most pranksters fall into this trap of wanting to friendlly fire.
• When a player is shot once, they call their hit. Then, typically, they are “out.” Some people, though, like to shoot an already-out player several times – just to add insult to injury (so to speak).
• In most (if not all) inside playing fields, there is a rule specifying that you cannot fire in full-auto (i.e., “fully automatic”) mode. Some people do this to clear an entire room, and are thus considered cheaters. This can also be highly dangerous, due to the close quarters that you may be fighting in.
• If a player is hiding behind a corner, and is being shot at, he might be tempted to poke his gun around the corner, and fire blindly at the enemies. This is, however, considered cheating, due to the fact that you cannot see the players, or where you are aiming, and thus, you might hit someone in the face, or, even worse, in the eye. (Clearly, it’s also a safety violation.)
• Finally, we have the cheater who does what was mentioned before, which is shooting people in the head. Like friendly fire, headshots are not illegal if they are accidental. But, also like friendly fire, if they are done on purpose, then they are considered cheating.

ALSO like friendly fire (sheesh, this practically IS friendly fire -_-), this does not really do anything to help the cheater, (except if the head is the only target, but in that case, it is not considered cheating). But, people who like inflicting pain do this a lot. Also, this type of cheater doesn’t just shoot people in the head. They will shoot you anywhere they think it will hurt.

All right, that is my list of cheater types.

Now, you might be thinking, “Wow, there is a lot of different ways a cheater can cheat. Aren’t there, like, twenty cheaters in any given game?” And to that, I say, “Not necessarily.” (And if there are, you might want to reevaluate your choice of teammates.)

Despite the numerous ways of cheating, even the most common types of cheater are fairly rare, due to the fact that there are so many people who play Airsoft.

This high number guards against cheaters in a couple of ways.

Firstly, it makes it more likely than it would be if there were fewer players that someone will spot the cheating and report it.

Secondly, it helps to ensure that there is a solid Airsoft community – within which cheaters would be identified and even ostracized.

Reporting a Cheater

So, don’t worry too much about getting into a game with a cheater!

If you do, though, it can be good to know what to do if you spot a cheater.

If you do find a cheater, then you can report him or her to the moderator or to one of the referees. That’s kind of what moderators and refs are there for – well… that and settling disputes between players.

There are typically several referees scattered across the playing field, so if see any shady characters, go and report away! It’s usually just as straightforward as getting a ref’s attention. Though, some Airsoft arenas may use colored flags.

Typically, an Airsoft cheater will be taken care of relatively quickly, but you have to report the cheater to the moderator. You are going to need evidence. So, pay close attention to the player’s location and be ready to provide the name – or at least a physical description – of the offender.

Final Remark

Please, in order to make the sport of Airsoft as fun and clean as possibly, don’t cheat!

Happy Airsofting!

Disclaimer: Please note that I am in no way, shape, or form even close to being an expert at Airsoft. If anything that I say is incomplete or incorrect, I give you my sincerest apologies.

Notes:

[1] Sometimes, a perfectly honest player will not call a hit because they didn’t feel it. Try shooting the player several times in several different areas.