Somebody said, if something seems ''gamey'' maybe it's just because it is only a game after all. True, but if we just wanted to play a straight-forward enough game of conflict, maybe we'd all be playing chess, Stratego, or Risk. I think it is the realism factor in CM that attracts a lot of us.
That said, there are things I try and not do that doesn't happen in real life, just to enhance the realism to me (and I know a couple things--spent 20 years in the US Infantry [but not WW2--haha]). I am also disappointed if an opponent does use strange (gamey?) tactics, but I have the freedom to play whoever I want.
I play pretty casually, meaning I don't get too caught up in too much game minutia. I like to win, but am used to losing, too. CM is a great pastime, but it isn't my life's work either.