I started with Whitebox D&D, but never had any interest in modules, other than one or two written by friends in the last few years. Back in the day (the ’70s) we took the view that they were what unoriginal people used and played.

So for me, I don’t really see playing modules as the core of old school gaming. However, I suspect there are strong regional preferences. Here in Minneapolis, where the ties to Geneva were strong, there certainly is a cult-like devotion to them. That wasn’t the case in Upstate NY, at least among the people with whom I gamed.