RPGs: What's the deal with nominal importance?

Haven't done one of these in a while it seems. Regardless, here's a look at the RPG Nominal rule: Any character who actually has a name is important in some way and must be sought out. However, if you are referred to as a part of a possessive noun ("Crono's Mom") then you are superfluous.

This one is kind of silly because most people who play console RPGs never pay any attention to character names unless they are party members or villains. Especially since the vast majority of NPCs aren't really named anyways. In some games where you have loads of recruits, like the entire Suikoden series or even Skies of Arcadia, there's gonna be quite a few names to remember for recruitment. Suikoden makes it easier because the characters all have portraits.

Another reason it's silly has to do with some RPGs having many characters with names but aren't important at all. Grady from the first Suikoden for example is named, but doesn't have a portrait. Interestingly enough, he has actual artwork, which makes him completely one-of-a-kind in the Suikoverse. But apart from that, he's a completely minor character who plays next to no part once you are done with the beginning of the game. In Skies of Arcadia, every individual shopowner has a name as well as the type of shop they run, but do you think "Lor's Ship Parts" is gonna stick with you the entire way? I don't, he's not recruitable and doesn't have any sort of interest apart from being a shopkeep. The more recent Wild Arms games I played (in my case Alter Code F and 3) actually name every single NPC. While it gives these NPCs a large amount of personality, in the end these names are likely forgotten after awhile.

Let's get to the second part of this cliche, the superfluousness of the ones who are referred to as possessive nouns. With the number of superfluous named NPCs mentioned, as well as this rule correlating with the Single Parent Rule, it's quite surprising how many parents of protagonists don't have true names. It's quite confusing in the game I'm playing right now. Why does Vyse have a mother without a name and a father who DOES have a name?* Neither of Alex's parents in Lunar: Silver Star have names. The same with Cornet's grandfather (Rhapsody), so they're all superfluous and fit this trope. Meanwhile, Cornet's mother, along with Annette's father in Growlanser 3, have names but don't do much. To me, having a name doesn't make you any more superfluous than anyone else if you're an NPC in a game.

*Said father also ends up superfluous after the beginning events of Skies of Arcadia are done as well. You don't see Dyne doing a whole lot afterwards, and he doesn't join your crew either. Okay, he does join your air pirate fleet group at the end, but what else does he do that's really important?