It's totally possible to have a good time playing Summer's Gone without having tried WIAB, but the two novels are intrinsically connected because, basically, the story of WIAB is about the parents/relatives of the current characters. However, for me, it's a different experience after going through the chapters of WIAB, especially in chapter 5 of Summer's Gone where someone might overlook the names William and Leia if they didn't know who these people were in the past. Another thing, for those who haven't played WIAB, SG might seem like just a college-themed AVN with some side stories of the LIs, but having the knowledge of WIAB behind it, you know that this universe is much more about a story of power that the Zane family acquires over time, both in illegality and legality, and that's why it becomes much more interesting.
And that's why, to me, it doesn't make sense for Nika to be just someone who isn't related and was thrown into this dispute by chance. Regarding his past, he may not have any kinship with the Zane family, but at least his parents must have a very close relationship with the Zane family, like Scarlett, Katarina, Joe...
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