Families and enthusiasts in Singapore switch from foam-dart Nerf guns to gel blasters in outdoor shooting games

SINGAPORE — As a father of five, Mr Zulkifli Aziz, 38, is constantly on the lookout for new hobbies to try with his children. Two in particular, who are nine and seven years old, enjoy activities such as video games, so he tries his best to get them out of the house.

They have tried playing with blasters or toy guns that shoot foam darts. Now, they are drawn to gel blasters, where tiny gel beads serve as the "ammunition" of choice.

The 38-year-old sales manager told TODAY: “Unlike foam darts, the gel pellets will disintegrate on their own. We don’t need to walk around to pick up darts after every game.”

After seeing gel blasters being sold at a toy shop last year, Mr Zulkifli did a quick search online and found a community that hosts physical games at parks every month. 

“My kids love it. They look forward to the weekend to play gel blasters with other kids. And I think it’s great because they are going outdoors to play instead of staying at home, glued to screens.” 

Since then, Mr Zulkifli has spent more than S$1,000 on gel blasters for himself and his children. 

A basic set of a gel blaster and pellets or beads can cost about S$150 in total. The pellets are usually sold separately. A more premium gel blaster with accessories can cost from S$200 to S$700.

In recent years, gel blasters have found their way to the shelves of major toy stores after a new law was passed in 2021 to regulate guns, explosives and weapons in Singapore. 

Since the law provided more clarity on the legality of replica weapons and guns, gel-blasting communities told TODAY that they have seen interest levels rise for the toy guns.

The Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act was introduced in January 2021 to replace the Arms and Explosives Act, and came into force at the end of the same year. 

Under the new law, the list of regulated weapons was expanded and subject to stricter controls. The Government said at the time that replica weapons, which includes toy guns, are excluded because they are deemed unlikely to be effective in causing injuries or death.

Bluebird Gel Blasters, a Singapore online company selling these toy guns, has regularly received queries about its products since it began retailing here six months ago. 

Seeing a steady demand for these toys, Singaporean co-founders Huang Yu Xuan, 34, and Eugene Tay, 42, saw the opportunity to start hosting monthly or fortnightly games with enthusiasts. More than 20 people have joined each game since last November.

Elsewhere, the Hydro Strike SG community, formed last April by gel-blasting enthusiast Jonathan Tan Jun Jie, 26, had only 30 members then. Today, it has close to 400.

WHAT A GEL BLASTER IS

A gel blaster is an alternate form of a toy gun.

It is like the blaster under the Nerf brand that first came into the market in the 1990s. Now sold by American games maker Hasbro, it shoots foam darts or water and has spawned copycats.

The difference is that a gel blaster propels water-absorbent gel balls or pellets at targeted players.

Unlike foam darts, which usually require the user to walk around to pick them up after playing, gel pellets are biodegradable. They are made from super absorbent polymer, a material capable of absorbing large amounts of water.

Mr Huang of Bluebird Gel Blasters told TODAY that the gel pellets must be soaked in water for at least 2.5 hours before use, and a fully soaked pellet is made out of more than 90 per cent water. They are not usable if not soaked.

When the gel bead shatters upon impact, it will disintegrate after two hours of exposure to the sun. 

A gel bead that is shot and does not shatter will dry up in four hours.

The gel pellets are non-toxic, Mr Huang said, so they will not harm the environment after dissolving.  

Another difference between gel blasters and conventional foam blasters is the preparation time.

Foam blasters usually require 15 to 30 minutes to set up, and a single magazine can contain just a limited number of darts, ranging from around five to 15.

To ensure that one has enough "ammunition" when playing on the field, a player would need to load up several magazines and carry them along.

For gel blasters, a medium-sized magazine fills up to 180 gel pellets, while a large one can accommodate up to 500. This means that players can fire hundreds of rounds without needing to reload constantly. 

Mr Zulkifli said that this made gel blasters more appealing, especially to his children, who used to have to ensure that every foam dart shot was collected back to prevent littering. 

“We need to carry more magazines and darts for foam, but gels can be kept in a small bottle, and fewer magazines are required each game.”

WHY SOME SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ARE FROWNING ON GEL BLASTING  

With gel blasters gaining popularity, some players have been sharing the thrills on social media, sparking questions from online users who are unsettled by the outdoor shooting.

Questions such as “Is this legal?" or "Is this even allowed in Singapore?” were among the most commonly asked queries received by Bluebird Gel Blasters. 

Despite being excluded from the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act, toy or replica guns are still considered controlled items in Singapore. The importation of these items requires approval from the police. 

Mr Tay from Bluebird Gel Blasters said that education is important in raising awareness. 

“Many customers come to us asking if gel blasters are legal. Many still don’t know that owning (one) is legal. The authorities don’t prosecute ownership. They prosecute misuse.” 

On their company’s TikTok account, Mr Huang makes an effort to reply to every doubtful comment, stressing that their gel blasters are approved by the Singapore Police Force. 

This means that aspiring players need to get their blasters from stores that are licensed to sell the toy guns. 

WHAT ARE THE OTHER SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR TOY GUNS 

The quest to get legally approved gel blasters took several rounds, Mr Huang and Mr Tay recalled. They had to jump through hoops to apply for a permit with the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department. 

A permit typically has a validity period of three months. This means that business owners would have to renew it regularly. 

Due to Mr Huang’s interest in tinkering with parts, he constantly seeks to bring in different models to offer customers a wider variety.

“If the permit comes back rejected, the reason is usually that the blaster looks too real or allows for paint spraying,” Mr Tay said.

The duo showed TODAY a list of conditions they have to comply with when they get their permit approved. These include:

• The approved controlled item (the toy gun) is not to be used or deployed in any manner to cause harm or undue alarm in public
• It is not to be modified in any way or form to resemble a realistic-looking gun
• Any process to move the approved controlled item from one place to another shall be carried out in a concealed bag or package

Mr Huang and Mr Tay also showed TODAY some of the approved blasters, which range from those with gaudy colours to those in transparent high-quality plastic or in sleek colours with a premium aluminium finish.

Due to the conditions laid down by the authorities, Mr Huang said that the company set an internal guideline where no more than 30 per cent of the blasters it sells can be black.

The same guideline is also imparted to players joining their community games.

“Otherwise, it would look too close to an actual weapon and cause public alarm. Game hosts also have the right to deny you from playing if you have such a blaster.” 

Well aware of the legality and safety considerations, game hosts take extra care to ensure that safety is not compromised because gel blasting has yet to go mainstream. 

Mr Tan, the hobbyist who formed the Hydro Strike SG community, said that his games are family-friendly, so he has a few key considerations.

These include having a big field with ample space for players to run around, which is clear of human traffic, and accessible to amenities and shelter in case of bad weather.

“Very few places fit the criteria. We must also ensure enough distance between the playing field and the main roads. After looking around, we found that Pasir Ris Park and Sengkang Riverside Park are the most suitable,” he told TODAY. 

Each game would involve 30 to 40 players, including children and parents eager to join in the fun. 

Regarding personal safety, Mr Tan said it is strongly recommended that all players wear paintball masks, safety glasses and body protection wear. 

“We also remind players to check their blasters and adjust the speed and intensity." If the speed is too fast, the pellets could cause trauma and bruises if shot at close range. 

Mr Huang and Mr Tay, who host games primarily for adults, have the same considerations as well. They started playing at the Tanglin Halt estate, which was left vacant due to the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme.

“No one lives there, so we don’t need to worry about putting other people at risk when we’re playing,” Mr Huang said. 

When TODAY visited the site with the two on Thursday (March 14), the estate was mostly quiet, save for the sounds of cooing pigeons and young boys playing in a nearby basketball court. 

Last month, though, it was announced in Parliament that the Government is planning to lease some of the vacant housing blocks in Tanglin Halt to eligible couples waiting for Build-to-Order (BTO) flats. The estate will also see new BTO projects in future.

A NEW SOCIAL GAME FOR FUN-SEEKERS 

Creative director Jerry Leow, who plays with the Bluebird Gel Blasters community twice a month, sees the game as a healthy sport for people to socialise. 

“The gel blasting community is growing well because we can meet many people, share knowledge and tactics about the gameplay, and even network with people in different trades,” the 46-year-old said.

Similarly, student Kenneth Tan, 20, who said that he is usually quiet and introverted, found that playing with gel blasters has done him some good.

“This hobby gives me a sense of confidence. I can interact with and talk with players to learn what type of equipment they carry or what they do in their personal lives."

Like Mr Zulkifli, civil servant Diana Chua enjoys letting her four children, aged between five and 10, play with gel blasters because they can run around and have fun. 

“My kids were interested in Nerf darts and foam blasters, so I thought this was a similar yet different experience for them to try out and make new friends,” the 36-year-old said. 

Seeing the size of the gel beads, Ms Chua said she was initially concerned that it might be painful for the young if they got hit in sensitive areas such as the eyes. 

“But the game organisers were big on safety and made sure that everyone was aware of the ground rules, so this assuaged my concerns,” she added, noting that some ground rules included wearing proper sports shoes and eye protection. 

On concerns that other parents might have about the seemingly violent nature of shooting or attacking people with gel blasters, Ms Chua said that she has a different view. 

"If taught properly, the kids learn discipline and teamwork. (It is) no different from target shooting or team sports like rugby or soccer.

"Compared with computer and arcade games, which sometimes have bloody visuals, this one makes them feel empathy, and sometimes they also get hit, so they learn." 

In the United States, where gun violence statistics are sobering and mass shootings in schools are often in the news, debates have gone on about whether parents should allow children to play with toy guns, especially at a young age when they may not be able to tell the real from the fake.

In Australia, since 2021, gel blasters have become regulated imitation firearms where rules govern their sale, ownership and use in every state except Queensland, which has been facing pressure to do likewise up until end of last year. 

Mr Zulkifli said that he understands how playing with such toy guns can make it seem like parents are implicitly endorsing violence, but he felt that it also provides opportunities for the young to play actively, as well as engage in social interaction and imaginative storytelling.

"It is important to establish clear rules and boundaries regarding safety and appropriate behaviour during playtime.

"When supervised and guided appropriately, the right games for kids can teach valuable lessons about teamwork, strategy and sportsmanship."