That's kind of the crux - folks seem to believe that character sheets, dice, classes, hit points and all that jazz that are parts of pen and paper RPGs require representation within a digital format, otherwise they're not playing an RPG. Especially designers wishing to capture a demographic conveniently boxed and labelled 'D&D players'.
Which is understandable. And we need to recognize that these are elements that are required to play a pen and paper rpg (usual exceptions for various systems apply). They are not, however, the game itself. We roll dice to randomly generate a value, which can be used to determine an outcome, be it a save, a hit point value, the chance of being hit by a meteor and so on.
Likewise, a character sheet is a handy, low cost method of tracking and remembering various values which are used during play.
A level system is form of feedback, empowerment and reward - a player can associate a level with various qualities, a higher level indicates more powerful qualities and a new level itself is clear reward for an accumulation of successes.
And so on..
However, these are various elements of D&D that collaborate to form the mechanics are not the game - they are the parts of a machine that make a game possible.
So when folks talk about a 'D&D game' I tend to worry. Creating a quality gaming experience can be really tough. And because of the subjective nature of each of our D&D experiences, the clear common ground tends to be the trappings of the system itself - so naturally, designers tend to focus on that. D&D? That means ..character sheets and.. levels and classes and hit points, right? Better get them in there! Otherwise how else will our audience know they're playing an RPG, right?
Not really. For me at least, I could do without some or all such trappings and still enjoy an RPG experience in a digital format. I don't need the actors in a (typically abysmal) movie to whip out a character sheet for me to know I'm watching a D&D movie. Likewise with a D&D game. What I do want in a movie is obviously a matter of my own personal tastes (giant robots, sentient squid women and a midget chase scene, along with excellent cinematography and character development) - each to their own.
So for me, a D&D computer game, whatever that really is, should be prepared to hide and even throw away the trappings of the pen and paper system, and instead focus on delivering a quality gaming experience. Or, better yet, embrace the digital format and develop a system that empowers players and DMs to carrying on playing - but better - using the digital format to enhance the experience.
