Gamism in RPG Evolution

In "Gamism: Step On Up," Ron Edwards touches briefly on his theories about why a dedicated Gamist system did not naturally evolve in RPGs: "Discussing why such an overt, accessible, and functional brand of play did not act as a solid demand on the marketplace of game design must await more discussion of game-industry economics."

His quick answer is that "Gamism remained alive and well among computer games" and "let's not forget that card game that showed up at the game store counters a decade ago. I think that Magic: the Gathering is best described as a portable, customizable wargame--and that part of its popularity may be ascribed to the fact that customers of the day had never seen a wargame before. Unsurprisingly, a whole sector of people who were involved in role-playing suddenly discovered the hobby they'd been looking for."