I agree. Also, vatsim is geared toward IFR traffic and controlled operations. Which could totally be done within the sim if they wanted to go that route, but I think vatsim is a great option for that. However, the option proposed here is more for the casual user that wants to interact with other people without having all of the formality, and perfect for non controlled airports which are by and far the majority of available airports in the world.
In the real world many people can fly without ever saying a word to another person if they choose to–but in reality the great majority do talk to each other.