The premise of most adventure / RPG games is that you're the only person capable of saving the day. And most novels/tv shows follow the stories of a person as they achieve some greatness (often coming from being a nobody). It's not like Mario is playing furry dress up while some HVAC guy named Tony defeats Bowser.

There's something fundamental about being seen as an important person. Not only does our literature revolve around this concept, but ideas about luxury and status are derived from this idea. Men wear the clothes that they see other important men wearing. It's why marketers get sports stars to sell products to men.

This product taps into that need. So it's easy to understand why so many people would enjoy it (and why some, like yourself, would hate it - some people want to be NPCs).

what a bizarre take - the premise of controlling your universe and presumably your self is you can do whatever. If you would rather be a peasant in the 13th century then you can simulate that too. and perhaps, you're already doing it.