The answer is: it depends. I like a good VO, and writing (be it good or bad) can be elevated to another level when matched with a great performance.
VO in RPGs tends to be weird, as unlike other games we have control over how narrative proceeds.
First of all, I don't like when my PC is voiced. Or it depends. It's fine, when the character I am playing is predetermined - like Geralt. Then again, I don't really consider Witcher3 to be RPG - more of an action game with RPG elements. Giving voice to PC, is definining them, and therefore taking away my choice as a player - it's a bit like cutscenes taking away my control of the character. It is great is some instances, but inappropriate in games that prioritise immersion and player imput - like immersive sims. So if game asks me to create my own character, I don't think it should force a voice on this character. Giving voice to my PC automatically creates a barrier.
As to other NPCs - I don't find reading to be an inferior experience to listening or films. It's just a different way of engaging with content. In RPGs especially, VO further defines characters, and as such limits our possible reading on them. Same line can be interpreted slighly different if read with a different tone and attitude - and while it could be smoke and mirrors, it is a way of allowing "player perceived reactivity" where none exists. And I think it is desirable.
Gaming to me is at it's most fun, when it's interactive - and VO is not. VO is at it's best when player's imput is limited. RPGs are at their best, when as the player you feel like and active participant (be it with actual actions or imaginations), and not that you are watching a bad movie.
That's fair.
I tend to prefer silent protagonists as well in RPGs. Although people have complained in the past about these characters often feeling unresponsive within the text itself on an emotive level. The problem is you can't possibly code every emotional reaction a player might have in mind, so it's often better--or at least, easier--to leave it blank and let the player project onto the character instead. One thing I liked about Dragon Age II was that you could define your Hawke by the emotions of their response. It would be interesting to see iterated versions of that implemented into more RPGs. For example, in Pathfinder, if you selected the pragmatic voice, your PC had an idle animation that matched the emotional concept behind said voice.
While I don't mind reading, either, I'm not sure it's taking full advantage of what video games as a medium have to offer. You can just as easily argue you're reading a bad book as you are watching a bad movie. Like I adore Planescape Torment and Disco Elysium, but they don't come close to touching the hallowed pantheon of Gormenghast or American Gods or Orlando or Gloriana (or, if we're including magical realism, 100 Years of Solitude and House of Spirits) for me on a purely written level. What allows them to transcend is the elements outside of the writing, such as art style or music or player agency. The only game I've played that managed to come close is barely a game at all in the form of Kentucky Route Zero. And I also feel like if you want to tell a good story there have to be restrictions placed on the player in some form or another.
