I think minmaxers were always just a specialized subgenre of fantasy gamers. The core to role playing games is playing a role -- the strict definition of drama

I think minmaxers were always just a specialized subgenre of fantasy gamers. The core to role playing games is playing a role -- the strict definition of drama and story. There was always a schism between those who saw the rules as an enabling technology to explore alternative takes on the human condition, and those who saw story and character as a matrix onto which the rules could be projected. Same as pretty much everything else, I'll wager.