You are the controller. Without you it's just pixels and you are the one who wins or loses, not the inanimate character on screen.
In the context of narrative driven games, you 're put in the shoes of the protagonist to influence the game world with your input. That doesn't mean you want to be the protag irl. If that was the case we 'd all be bloodthirsty killers since that's what most games revolve around. You play the role of hero, or villain, or a perverted brat in a porn game. But it's just that, a role.
I don't use my real name either because it wouldn't fit the role. Imagine a noble paladin named Bob or a vicious warlord named Gary...
To return on topic, it's universally considered a sign of bad game design, to spend a lot of time away from the protagonist of the game. It's still very early to say this for this one but the flashbacks overstayed their welcome imo.