A Cool Nerf Battlefield is awesome, great functionality of a Nerf Battlefield is better.
First impressions matter, which is why a good looking Nerf Battlefield just might seem to be a great Battlefield.
(Halo Effect)
But looks only go so far. Functionality of a Nerf Battlefield is the secret to keep players engaged during Nerf War. The term functionality might be vague, so let's get into it.
Nerf Battlefields must have a ton of obstacles, even if they're a ton of small obstacles, in order to incentivize kids to engage in Nerf War as they would in an actual combat zone. The whole process of ducking, shooting, dodging, and reloading gets players to perceive Nerf War as an actual war, and that's when Nerf Gun Parties turn into serious fun. The biggest obstacle is transitioning a player's mentality from 'this is whatever' into 'I can't get shot and I have to get my opponents before they get me'. A functional Nerf Battlefield is the first step to cause this.
Forget Aesthetics, a Nerf Gun Party absolutely requires Nerf Guns that do not jam.
A functional and good-looking battlefield only goes so far, right? Can you really conduct a Nerf Gun Party when Nerf Guns jam every other second? Sure, but players would get irritated and get less and less engaged. It's a priority to keep players engaged and to do so, the Nerf Guns have to work properly. Most blasters made by Nerf look really cool, but unfortunately they jam often. Here at AirballingLA, we've curated a selection of Nerf Guns for our Nerf Gun Party that consistently works. Most of them are pistols, snipers, and other Nerf Guns that shoot one bullet at a time, and from our experience, these are the best Nerf Guns for Nerf War because it reduces the amount of unintentional cheating that almost always occurs with a group of 14+ players. So, we have about 3-4 solid models that work well, and we're on the lookout for additional Nerf Guns that work as well or even better in order to enhance the experience of our Nerf War Party.
Structure is absolutely necessary in a Nerf Gun Party to ensure engagement
Playing with Nerf Guns is fun. But it's only fun for so long if it gets repetitive and lacks an objective. So, different Nerf War Games each with their own unique objectives is key to ensure novelty and engagement of players. We're revving our cognition to create unique Nerf Games on top of the 9 that we already have to further enhance the experience of a Nerf Gun Party. In case you're interested in our Nerf Gun Party Game Modes, here they are:
Nerf War:
2 Teams stand on opposing sides of the field with multiple flags scattered throughout the field. The objective of each team is to secure as many flags as they can by touching the flag for 10 seconds without being shot. Once teams obtain a flag, the space around that flag becomes a part of their territory that becomes off limits for the other team. There are no outs in this game, players respawn at the end of their field after being hit. Game lasts for 15 minute and a point is given to the team that secured the most flags.
Team Deathmatch
Each player has 1 life and the objective of each team is to eliminate each member of the opposing team. Crucial for players to utilize bunkers because players cannot enter the round after being shot.
Medic
Similar concept as Team Deathmatch with a twist. Each team has a medic that can heal other players that have been shot. So, players take a knee at the location they have been shot until their medic tags them. Once the medic is shot, the game transitions to Team Deathmatch.
Capture the Flag
Capture the Flag with Nerf Guns.
Zombies vs Humans
One team is given the task of a zombie and the other is given the task of a human. The objective of a zombie is to run without a Nerf Gun and tag humans to convert them into humans. Humans must shoot Zombies and attempt to survive for 10 minutes. Zombies cannot die, they respawn at the far side of their side after being shot.
Free For All
The game we play with the team that wins the Nerf Tournament in our Nerf Gun Party to walk away with a Nerf Gun that does not jam.
Behind Enemy Lines
Each team starts with a set amount of territory. Once players from a team is shot, they turn into traitors and join their opponents to shoot their original teammates. As the size of one team grows, their territory expands whereas the losing team's territory decreases.
Retrieval
This Nerf game starts with one team defending flags that are situated on their side of the field while the offensive team attempts to retrieve flags from their opponents base and take them back to their base. There are no outs, players respawn at a designated location after being shot.
Defend the President
Each team has a special 'president' they have to defend while they attempt to shoot the opponent's president. Everyone but the president respawns after being shot, and the game ends when one president is shot.
