I did answer. Sometimes a game is defined by what it chooses not to create rules for. D&D doesn't try to be completely comprehensive of every aspect of the game, it's rulings over rules. I think how people actually use the game at the table is more important than trying to apply game theory analysis. The original question I was answering: "Wouldn't the essence of a thing be the same for everyone, even if the specific permutations of their lived experience of it are different?"
Because D&D 5E focuses on rulings over rules, goes out of it's way to encourage DMs to color outside the lines, what people do with that absolutely matters. This is where the academic analysis fails for me. I care more about how people actually use the game. In the case of D&D, what the rules leave out can be just as important as what they chose to include. The fact that any two games can be so radically different is a feature, not a bug. D&D doesn't establish a tone of game, it doesn't limit itself to a specific mythos even if it does provide some for specific settings. If I play a Cthulhu game I know I'm doing a horror campaign. If I play a D&D game I could play a horror game, a beer and pretzels game, a story of good vs evil or morally gray quagmire. I don't see how I can discuss the game without discussing how it's actually implemented and used.