in the 22 months i've been on cohost, my perspective on ttrpgs (and games broadly), both playing them and designing them, has changed radically. when i first got here, i was very much thinking about like, "what does this game do? what does it afford? what does it simulate? what stories is it best suited for, and how does it help or hinder the act of storytelling?"
i was thinking like a storyteller. if you want to tell a heist story, you should play a heist game. if you want to tell a mystery, play a mystery game. if you want a mecha story, play a mech game.
and like, i still think that's mostly correct. it's useful to pick a game designed for the genre space you have in mind (or the other way - if a game is designed around a certain genre that appeals to you, that can be a good reason to try it!). but i recognize now that i was neglecting an important part of the hobby.
the gaming part.
it's fun to have a system! it's fun to make moves and builds and synergy! it's fun to win, even moreso when losing is a real possibility! when the moving parts of a game slide around and click together just so, it's satisfying! that's gaming, baby!
i had built a hierarchy in my mind of story > game as a reaction to the opinion that "playing to win the game" is what matters and "telling a story" is secondary (or solely the DM's resposibility), but i was just as dead wrong. gaming is fun! storytelling is fun! both are cool and valuable, and it's the blending of them (along with other aspects of tabletop role-playing like the social element, the chance element, the theatrics, the jokes, etc) that make the hobby special!
so thanks ttrpg cohost. you reminded me the reason my parents called playing ad&d or gurps or toons or whatever "gaming" back in the day. gaming is good actually!