This was not always the case.
Also, the publishers lie about how invasive their software is - see the Sony rootkit fiasco.
I know. :(
(Though, unfortunately, the SecuROM fiasco shows that this has sadly been going on a long time.)
I say it's amusing, but it's a bitter thing for me, too.
Only when you want to play mainstream anticheat slop.
Even though it's not been part of my life for a long time, I would still prefer a world where people can participate in trendy multiplayer games without subjecting themselves to such corporate malware.
But I agree, many games are better and lack this, and a lot of games that rely on nasty anti-cheat software succeed more based on network effects than on intrinsic excellence.
If you game for games' sakes, it's not too painful to avoid games so encumbered, or to cut these from your gaming diet. If you game as a ritual to stay in touch with distant friends, you will probably experience more pressure towards the rootkit-encumbered slop.
If you are a PC gamer and run anti-cheat software like this, you should probably think of your gaming PC as a much more powerful and much jankier console, and avoid running or storing anything on it other than your games.