It’s review time. The annual roundup of things in the world of stipsniper and Airsoft as a whole, while I sit and have a couple of weeks off to relax with some mulled wine and plan ahead for next year.

It’s been seven years since I started writing this blog, and I still write it usually for about 3-4 people, and myself. It’s a great place to put thoughts down on paper (sort of) and it’s getting towards 250 articles now, which is a hell of a lot of info and ideas which seems to be travelling far and wide. I could have never envisaged it growing to the size it is now, especially in the first year where I was celebrating hitting 1000 readers. The growth this year has been fantastic, although I’d be interested to see whether that’s a growth in the numbers of snipers out there, or an increase in those who want to improve themselves.

The highlight for the blog this year however was undoubtedly getting nominated for the 14th Airsoft Player’s Choice Awards, which must mean I’m doing something right.

That’s huge news, and I’m very grateful to everyone who nominated me. It’s great to get in ahead of other blogs by the likes of Kicking Mustang, Novritsch and Femme Fatale. I know there are probably some bigger ones out there as well, but they tend to be sponsored or backed by retailers or manufacturers directly giving them an endless amount of products to review and a stream of “this is new from my sponsor, go buy it at http://www.whatever.whatever” type content, and there’s not much value in that. There are more than enough people pushing stuff onto others, good or bad, but I’m far more interested in the mechanics of playing, the tactical side, camouflage theory, and doing it all on the cheap as well because not everyone can go throwing money at it. And more importantly, they don’t need to. And I think that’s something that appeals to people so that’s the path I’m going to continue down – getting people thinking and playing better rather than trying to get them to part with cash. Of course, if I’ve tried and tested stuff (ie it’s not a tac vest with all the price tickets still attached that got worn for a photoshoot), and it’s impressed me then I’ll do a review and shoot you guys a link.

Just getting onto the field is one of the best parts of Airsoft, as much as we all love buying kit and tinkering with it. I think the simple joy of playing though is being lost, with a noticeable increase in social media accounts simply fishing for attention, to the point that I’ve seen some players turn up to site just to do a photoshoot and then either leave or just spend a half day at site socialising. Indeed, there seems to be more chatting than playing at some sites. And it has carried over into the week with more podcasts appearing in place of the usual raft of YouTube videos, which generally is a bit more intelligent and at least you know it’s not just some viral turd chasing ad revenue. It’s good to see that discussion happening off the field though rather than on it. A particular shout out to November Foxtrot while I’m on the subject who probably do the best podcast out there that I’ve seen, giving advice and guidance for anyone of any level who wants to do Milsim. It’s a refreshing change from all the personal stories and self-congratulating that some people do on podcasts, or those that run out of topics to talk about and veer towards repeating the same questions and answers just for the sake of having a podcast.

For my own videos and Live shows, it’s been a quiet one this year but I did enjoy doing some with AkaStaten, including a very good Instagram Live with a few beers from my hotel room while working away. I said to the guys that I’d do stuff it was worth discussing, rather than just a weekly one for the sake of it, so if we get something worth doing I’ll be happy to sit down and do some more. Content is only good if it’s useful otherwise it becomes a chore to watch and a waste of time, indeed the old “watch a bb hitting someone” gameplay vids are becoming increasingly tiresome and offer nothing of substance. I think, and I hope, for 2024 there’ll be an increase in alternative content, be it podcasts, which in the last 12 months are gaining traction within the community, or possibly even more blogs and websites.

The energy of most big groups on Facebook as well I think seems to be fizzling out, and more active now are the smaller groups/teams/discords where a big audience isn’t necessary unless it’s to satisfy someone’s ego (“look at me I have x thousand followers etc). It’s certainly a different atmosphere, my sniper community one feels more like a discussion around a table in a bar than trying to shout in a stadium and a big shout to the team there for an excellent and productive year. Perhaps the days of airsoft “celebrities” is declining and instead there’s a rise in teams and groups. Of what I have seen across the global airsoft community, there’s a lot more new faces on the scene this year who to be fair are producing some really good stuff, and long may it continue. Everyone has something to bring to the table in airsoft and for too long we’ve had our feeds filled with the same 10 or so characters with the same old routines; the newer faces are far more welcome. I look forward to meeting as many as I can next year as I tour around sites.

In terms of events, I’ve had some absolutely fantastic weekenders this year. Sniper weekenders have helped keep the vital skills sharp and have opened up a lot of new ideas, both in terms of kit development and events. I’ve met some fantastic and very skilled people and look forward to joining them more next year. They’ve been among the best events I’ve been to and hats off to the #282 team for that. For the first time in a decade though, I’ve not had an England game. As awesome as it has been to represent England and be part of the setup down the years, it’s time to hand the baton over to the more CQB-minded guys and this allows me to focus more on the sniper side – there’s a hell of a lot of work involved in getting ready for the England games and it takes up around a quarter of my year. Not saying I won’t return one day, but there’s so much more I want to do in the meantime.

The big one for me this year though was Defiant Events’ Operation Irene – a Black Hawk Down event, which is something I can never say no to. Cue a Delta Force loadout and some epic kit collecting…

Away from gaming, the Midlands Airsoft Fair has been on twice in 2023, and it’s a brilliant place to source kit and meet people, from Heroshark to UKAL, and if you’re after something on the cheap it’s ideal – retailers and independent sellers offer almost anything you could possibly need. Even if you just go there to meet people, it’s well worth a day out and the £5 entry fee. I’ll be there for them next year if you ever want to come and say hi, and if you’re planning a loadout it’s a great place to start. Big militaria shows such as the Yorkshire Wartime Experience as well bring together a lot of second hand and surplus dealers that have so much more to offer than the rather disappointing selection of pocket airsoft shops we currently have in the UK, and I recommend if you can taking a weekend off from skirmish to go and visit one.

2024 looks like being a very interesting one for Airsoft if the shift continues to new faces, new ideas and new platforms. In the world of stipsniper.com, I’ll be looking at a bit of a revamp on the blog visuals just to freshen things up a bit, although it’s been a constant evolution anyway. I’d like to try and do a few more podcasts where I can, likely with Point6 as ever and AkaStaten who has a good understanding of sniping and particularly sniper related gear. I might even get a few guest faces on if there’s anyone of particular interest (drop it in the comments). Sniper events are absolutely stacked, and there’s been discussion around LAC’s TacEval event which is a fascinating concept, and one I might blog about whether I attend or not because I think it presents some interesting ideas around kit selection. I’ve also got some more ideas on camouflage, as well as possibly shaking up what the whole sniper role in airsoft actually is, and how we equip for it which I hope will bring up some new ideas and generate some really good new discussions as we move ever forward.