It's a small price to pay for many, especially when you considered that the main driving force is friends.
The "free" games just add to the loyalty factor: I will continue to pay so I can keep my "free" games, it's a great deal because I'm paying x for y games, quantity over quality any day!
For me personally, paying for online is the primary reason why I don't own neither PS4 nor Xbone. I bought a Switch to play with my friends, but I'm not sure if I'll be paying the online fee when time comes, since we would have moved onto World by then.