As I’ve searched the Web, YouTube, podcasts, old print versions of Dragon Magazine, etc., it seems that a majority, let’s say 95%, of the information out there on D&D is about how to be a better GM, run a better campaign, build a better dungeon, etc. This page will be dedicated to the other 5% - the player. Not necessarily how to be a better player; that subject is also covered ad nauseum through the web (a couple of my favorites are One more Matt Colville Video & Bad Gaming Etiquette), but how the game is viewed through the eyes of the player. Anyone can hear about how this player ruins the game by being loud and obvious or how that player decided that playing a lawful evil rogue would be a fun idea, but it always seems to be through the eyes of the GM.
What about the player’s thoughts?
Using the example above, player X plays a lawful evil rogue. The GM may not be too happy about it but lets the player go ahead and play it, and then we get to read a 1000-word post from the GM on how he ruined the outstanding campaign he had created. From a player's perspective, my first thought would be, "Why the fuck would you let him play a Lawful Evil character in the first place?" Yeah, I know a good GM wouldn't let it happen, but plenty of GMs out there think they could handle it. Maybe they can, but that doesn't mean the players will like it. Simplified (significantly simplified, so don't get all nuts), a lawful evil character will do and take whatever he wants and doesn't care about who he hurts in the process. How does that fit into a team game where players are supposed to work together?
Guess what? It doesn't.
The players know that. So even if the player hides his alignment early game, it will become very apparent reasonably quickly. Now the fun becomes less about the adventure at hand and more about the player doing crappy things. The game's focus has changed radically; for many players, it isn't much fun anymore. If they wanted a PVP, they'd play Warhammer or Fortnite.
The GM runs the campaign, but the game is about the players. You can write the best campaign in the world, do a million different voices that bring the NPCs to life, or have the most original and brilliant homebrew rules in the world. But if the players are not into it, it's all a waste.
The point of this page is not to be "My GM sucks." Bashing the GM doesn't help the campaign or help him become a better GM. Instead of other GMs extolling their virtues, how about the players assisting the GM to improve? Maybe the GM will be more open to some of your wilder ideas instead of just saying "NO!" to everything you want to try. Cause let's admit it, as players, we do some of the dumbest shit you can imagine. But if we've trained our GM and helped him improve, he can get into our crazy ideas as much as we do.
So maybe it's time to take a step back and look at the game from a different perspective, so often the view that has been forgotten...that of the player.