We Need People In RPGs

Scorpia has two related editorials, entitled We Need People in RPGs and We Also Need..., about the need in RPGs of realistic NPCs and motivations.
For instance, we know all the (people) (a.k.a. NPCs) are really there just for us. They populate the world so it won't look empty. They wait around with little odd jobs for us to do outside of the main line. They provide cannon fodder so we can grab goodies and level up on our way to Foozle.

Added to that is the fact that NPC personalities tend to come in just three flavors: forgettable, obnoxious, and helpless. Throw in the difficulties of conversation, and it's no surprise that we have a hard time feeling anything beyond exasperation or antagonism for any of them.

These are some reasons why stories often seem drab in RPGs. The NPCs are just robots running through their scripts; they have little or no personality.
Spotted on RPGWatch.