Big contests like CQWW can just shut down the band for "real" communication.
I had a nightly schedule from N1EA/MM with my father, WA1DRR (SK 2020 at 95 years), the only time we couldn't contact each other because there was too much QRM was during one of the big contests. All I wanted to do was find out how my family was from 6,000 miles away in the South Pacific.
Same with DX, I remember I heard some east coast DXers calling CQ DX with no takers, and I was just entering Singapore waters, so I called them, I just wanted to talk to someone near "HOME" on Christmas. "You're not DX" - even when I told them my QTH and distance from 'Spore harbor.
That chilled me from DXing mostly, the thrill died that day, I like working DISTANCE and not necessarily new countries. In my book, the DXer should have been overjoyed at receiving a 559 (real S5) from offshore Singapore from a USA ship. He wasn't, wouldn't even give me a report, or wish me "Merry Christmas", nor would the others that were on that morning. Bah Humbug! I had a good Christmas in spite of them.
73
DR
N1EA