Rolling-Up the PC

DETERMINATION OF ABILITIES:
"Prior to the character selection by players it is necessary for the referee to roll three six-sided dice in order to rate each as to various abilities, and thus aid them in selecting a role." So states White Box in Men & Magic on p. 10. Yes, the referee rolls-up the character and the player then chooses what class they would like to play with that set of ability scores. This is probably one of the first rules to get house-ruled and I have yet to set at a table where I didn't roll-up my own character, or in more recent games "buy" my character abilities using a point-buy system. However, as I have found many of the early practices espoused in White Box to have important underlying meaning for the game, I think Mr. Gygax and Mr. Arneson are on to something big here that may have gotten lost in subsequent editions.
One approach to the game is that it is all about the PCs. It is true that even if the setting or milieu is the most consistent element of a campaign and the story that develops from play is that of the changes that occur in the imaginary world, the PCs are the actors, the means of the change. It is through their careers that the story unfolds. They are obviously a very important element of the campaign. Leaving their creation totally to chance can be challenging and interesting, but I think the authors of White Box are saying the referee should have some control over PC creation.
Establishing what the parameters are for PCs is an accepted role of the referee. The classes and races available as PCs help shape the campaign. Limiting PC choices can avoid problems that can potentially derail a campaign. With point-buy systems establishing caps ensures the PCs are relatively balanced with regard to each other and the with tasks and challenges the referee expects them to confront in play. Vetting the character sheet is an essential referee task when PCs are brought into play from another game/campaign or when created by players on their own. I think this is especially true with systems that support lots of PC options and "builds".
White Box suggests character creation be a collaborative activity involving both the player and the referee. I think this is the best system and provides an opportunity for discussion of what players seek in their game and what the referee is interested in in terms of milieu. Selection of appropriate player characters for a game is an important aspect of getting started "on the right foot" and is essential for the long term health of a campaign. With a desire for everyone, including the referee, to enjoy the game, it just seems a good idea for character creation to be a cooperative endeavor rather than the referee creating a campaign and each player creating their own PC, all done independently with little or no attempt at coordination and then hoping it all "magically" falls together well. I am guessing the authors of White Box had seen this approach in action and wrote the above rule with the benefit of experience.