Cool video on talking your way out of combat in games:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9TzqNQBmr0

Agreed with the broader point, but as someone who really dislikes combat in pretty much any game*, the skipping it IS the better gameplay option. Lets you go back to the actual game you want to play.

* Dark Souls and Bloodborne's relentless defiance to this remains a mystery. Maybe the combat in literally every other game is just crap and DS/BB's one is the only one that's any good?