Airsoft has three distinct aspects, Skirmishing, Dress up and Tinkering, although they are all mutually linked, none are more or less important than the others.
If you asked on Airsoft mechanics, i would hazard a majority rarely played, if you asked a russian loadout group, the majority would rarely play. Its not a bad thing as these airsofters are paying into and supporting the industry. It's a very good thing we are so diverse we can not tie ourselves into one direction.
Take Car owners clubs 50% just want a social gathering of likeminded people and a driveabout once in a while, 50% want to know every intricate detail about the car down to ridiculous details. All are accepted and bond unanimously.
Personally i have donned my kit more at home than at a site recently, because in the wake of the Paris Shootings, i cant help but throw the thought that as we go out skirmishing we are replicating the hell these people lived and died; for fun. Saying it out loud seem abhorrent to me.
There is no prize, there is no award, there is no reason or purpose, we are just going out to replicate killing each other for shits and giggles.
And i'm not alone in thinking this, many other players I have spoken to share this reluctance. Of course we are too deeply involved now to just quit so carry on and bury our moral objections.