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I think that at this point, part of the issue is the rolling of "MilSim" in with "OPERATOR" culture.
Airsoft is filled with such a diversity of player cultures here in Canada, reasons why people play. Just to name a few, there are collectors, re-enactors, milsimmers, speedballers, skirmishers, etc.
All of these people join in the community together, and sometimes the cultures don't mix so well. Part of the problem with that is the games are often not marketed specifically for one culture, as that could potentially lead to a very lowly populated game.
I've found that in the gigantic, 100+ player games, you have such a mixture of the cultures present (each team represents its own unique reasons for attending), that it is no wonder that these games often disappoint or have some serious player issues. There are only so many milsimmers, skirmishers, speedballers, etc. When you need to fill up large rosters, they are all thrust into the same environment with completely different expectations and requirements to each other, which can cause some serious strife between those communities.
In addition, as you've noted, the "OPERATOR" mindset can cause issues, in the sense where guys will run reloading drills, contact drills, shooting drills incessantly while looking like Navy SEALs, without working on the other skills required (such as advance to contact, or the teamwork skills that could put all of the individual fighting skills to use).
I feel this topic has been beaten to death (again) in the last couple weeks, but it seems as though there is some good conversation arising from it. What I think needs to happen is some serious introspection. If you advertise a game as a "BF4" or "COD" style gameplay and people whinge about it not being "MilSim", remind them that it's a marketing term to appeal to the "OPERATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ethos, and has no actual meaning. They are more than welcome to "OPERATE OPERATIONALLY AS OPERATIONAL OPERATORS OPERATING" at your game. Those who are into a realistic military simulation will find their own ways to accomplish this amidst all the debris, should they attend the video-game styled games.
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