Myself, I am a gamer that started when the AD&D books were first published. My first adventure was White Plume Mountain ran by a friend (he helped me create my level 5 fighter for the adventure) who himself was pretty new to the game. After that first weekend I was invited to play with a regular group who were running CE characters. Ted (my first AD&D mentor) told me to keep the same CN fighter I had used the weekend before. Now before everyone gets all bent out of shape about that think for a minute. He had a point, nobody really knows another's alignment (aside from high powered divinations) and it would interesting to see if anyone could pick up on the slight difference through how my character behaved. Interesting word that, behave - behavior, hmmm. It seems that now-a-days most folks are worried about the numbers, the abilities, AC, HP, etc etc. Back in the day we called those folks Minmaxers. They were always worried about treasure and the powerful items, they loved the Monty Hall campaigns and seemd to get lost or bored when the story recquired actual interaction to progress.
I quickly learned that the game was only as good as the DM. If the DM sucked the party into the story they had a better chance of getting involved. I also found that rookie players could be better than the most experienced ones for being creative and willing to actually roleplay.
I played with the same guys through the rest of high school most of which were fun to hang with. There was one exception who we all tended to laugh at rather than laugh with but no need to beat that dog. in college I found that yet again, new players brought something unique to the game. We had a mix of seasoned players and newbies and we had a great time. Again, while stationed in Germany there were a few experienced gamers and many who were wanting to learn. Everyone's openess to just play thier character and not worry about the rules worked to everyone's benefit. Don't get me wrong, they didn't blow off game mechanics but what they did do was not try to out DM the DM. they allowed the story to be told and they tried some truly movie epic type things, not at all aware of whether or not they "were supposed to be able to do that or not". They communicated what they were trying and the DM told them what dice to roll and if they succeeded.
That type of playing continued right up through Version 3.5. Groups just took on the role of thier characters and everyone, including the DM, had a good time. Then along came 4th Edition and it seems like everyone is worried about thier Daily or Encounter Powers rather than just imagining they are a humanoid person clad in mail, leather, or robes and doing what seems natural. It feels like the computer game version of our favorite games have come full circle. Remember the first of those computer games? Nerwinter Nights, Pool of Radiance? Oh yeah, we were all excited to play them but they didn't take the place of our normal gaming session with friends. Have you noticed how 4th Edition plays more like an impersonal video game than a fleshed out personal experience with your friend's imaginations?
Now, of course, there are alternatives to 4th Ed D&D like Pathfinder or just playing older editions of D&D. Sadly though, Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast have gone full tilt on the 4th Ed stuff and those of us who are long lasting players have been left out in the cold. Too bad, however that's just another example of games being run by suits and not gamers. I know this has probably sounded like a rant but its just one of those topics that seem to bug me, even if there are things we can do to adjust.