Aw, I missed the paintball hating session. Ah well.
I used to play speed and Xball a ton. it's a different animal. It's like saying rugby and soccer are alike. I enjoy airsoft more now because it's so much more laid back, and isn't so much a "sport" as it is a "hobby." I like hobbies a lot more than sports. Especially if that sport becomes your job. I started airsoft because it looked fun, and lo and behold, it was. I left paintball because I was simply tired of the cutthroat competition of the game. Paintballers have egos, big ones, and I enjoy the community so much more in this game. Sure, the guns don't look like real guns, because they were made to win games, not play them. And I will say one thing, there are tactics in speedball. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but, these tactics are not "traditional." Most of the tactics in a speedball match come from the break, or very start of the game, and more from who to shoot and how to get the angle to shoot them. Airsoft uses more realistic tactics that I'd expect to see in an actual battle, not a sports game, but don't get me wrong, I adore airsoft so much more than speedball/Xball.
Thought I'd throw my two cents in there.
Oh, and, people who skew the rules of the game in their favor, that grinds my gears.