The Elder Scrolls fans like using this kind of mechanics as a crutch for their imagination. If there was MORE writing to the characters they'd probably complain. I mean, hey, they've managed to create a personality for Lydia out of nothing!
That's something, I suppose. Planescape: Torment would scare them ****less.
I love Planescape for that very reason. The characters feel more real.
Skyrim though. Eh, I played it for maybe a few weeks in December, then stopped. It feels too stripped down/dumbed down for my taste, especially after playing New Vegas and Inquisitor. All I do with it now is mod it to try and replace what they stripped the game of. Classes, character creation depth, spell-crafting, rounded characters, vibrant atmosphere, and other such things.
Unless Bethesda makes an effort to not streamline their games so much, and then rely on the community to, more or less, do their jobs for them, they will turn into the Square Enix of open world RPGs. I'd rather not see that happen.