It's funny, Crimson, because I feel the opposite. It's very affective for me. Ever since I got introduced to D&D when I was six, I have loved the game. I loved playing. I loved reading the books. I loved the smell of the books. Heck, I still like the smell of the books. I picked up my new DMG yesterday and read a bit and I so enjoyed the physical process of opening it up, reading it, thinking about story ideas that flit in and out of my mind.
I discovered ENWorld many years ago -- let's just say when George W. Bush was president -- through a friend. I was already listening to Wizards of the Coast's podcast about the forthcoming 4th edition of the game. I started to read and discovered it was a way to perpetuate this enjoyment I experience around the game.
Life is stressful. I deal with dying people in one of my jobs. I am frequently smelling vomit, urine, and feces. I've had many friends die. D&D is a fairly healthy way for me to relax with my family and friends. It's been great as an educational tool for my daughter. Heck, it was a great means of education for me. I got to meet Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grub and many of the old timers. I really love the game.
I am a trained literary critic and understand criticism. So, I get it that people are using a forum here for criticism. Honestly, some of what you write I entirely agree with. In the context of this thread, for example, I use a few of the optional rules from the 2014 DMG. I truly wish they were in the new book. Characters at my table only heal their CON modifier of Hit Dice after a long rest per day. I like longer downtime for my PCs. Whatever.
But, when I come here and read all of the criticism -- some of which is articulate like yours, some of which amounts to "it sux," and some of which is incessant from the same people with the same problem(s) that they bring to (seemingly) every thread -- it...is...a...d-r-a-g.
That's all.
I love the poetry of Walt Whitman. Yet, I crack open the Walt Whitman Quarterly and it is only rarely I find an article that awakens within me my love for his poetry...and those articles are written by articulate and educated writers whose work has passed the peer review process. So, I get it; continue to let your critical mind range free and beautiful.
But, in case you are interested in why my fundamental disposition toward D&D is positive, this is why. I mean, it took me two to three years before I finally came to the point that 4th edition of D&D was not for me. I spent a year or two defending it with people at the local gaming store who I thought were not giving it a fair shot and appreciating its innovations and improvements (a number of which were carried over to 5th edition).
D&D (and by extension ENWorld) is a place I come to share love of the game. There was a period here from about 2015 or 2016 to 2020 when there was so many positive posts. It was quite nice. People really seemed to like the game and post about their experiences and thoughts. Then the inevitable hyper-critical fan mentality set in...again.
Well, at least we still have Snarf!
