It's not that different at all. Especially if you talk to a variety of people about what the game does for them. And not even just simulators. Most computer gameplay is easily modeled as solo role play with fancy tools.
It also makes me think about the huge variety of games that used D&D style stats, back in the day (many still do). I was reading the manual for Sea Rogue for DOS recently (treasure hunting scuba game) and mechanically it's transparently TTRPG behind the scenes for character actions.
Computer games are more rigid. Tabletop RPGs are fun (IMO) because of the interactions between people, which more often than not involve modification of the rules. I'm not here to tell people what is fun them, but I'd guess that most people would very quickly (a) decide a computer might as well keep track of the rules - you've reinvented Final Fantasy - or b) look for some friends to enjoy the game you've experimented with by yourself.
It also makes me think about the huge variety of games that used D&D style stats, back in the day (many still do). I was reading the manual for Sea Rogue for DOS recently (treasure hunting scuba game) and mechanically it's transparently TTRPG behind the scenes for character actions.