dude people arent obsessed (ok maybe some people) but this series of game is like a book or a film only you can interact and control parts of it, and help the characters develop kinda like those little tamagochi pets. Tell me you have never discussed a movie or a book with a friend and talked about whihc characters (whether fictional or based on real people) you liked ..
People discuss celebrities whom they are never going to meet and have no business spreading gossip about but still do it. and that annoys me a hell of a lot more than discussing fictional characters!