Different strokes for different folks. And I'd be very careful about using assumptions of "what DnD was designed for" as a guide for how everyone ought to play now. To quote Terry Pratchett by way of Captain Carrot, "Gold and muck come out of the same shaft." It's more important to understand what kinds of fun your game can deliver on, and how, so that you can tune it for the maximum enjoyment of your table, than it is to determine in the abstract how it "should" be played.