And you're right. It is all about the writing and the creation. And somehow, the rules have gotten in the way of many people from seeing that. It seems like things have shifted over the years from participating in a good story/adventure to game balance, kewl powerz, and so-called game balance.
For me, 4e seemed to shift back to the creation aspect--as least for the DM, at first. But overtime it felt like I was just playing a tactical miniature battles game rather than a roleplaying game--even more so than with 3.5e.
I tried to convince people to at least try older versions of D&D or even retroclones, but to no avail.