I wish the average consumer did care about things like load times, constant lengthy updates, mandatory installs, etc., because I find it all intensely annoying, but unfortunately I don't think most people care about that stuff.
Actually, that was something that surprised me. I had no idea this was an issue. Do Nintendo games have this issue? I don't recall any problem when I popped in NSMBWU or 3D World to test them.
I don't recall if SM3DW had any updates, but NSMBU did have an update that added Pro Controller support. However, if you have the NSMBU + NSLU combo pack, I believe this update is already on the disc and you wouldn't have to get an update before playing it.
Other games have had more updates though, such as Mario Kart VIII, Smash Bros, Hyrule Warriors, etc. I remember I had to wait an hour to play when the MK8 August update came out, and that was about how long it took with the first DLC pack also. So annoying.
If you choose to skip updates for the time being, they will be downloaded in the background as you play. However, they do not install in the background, so you'll still have to sit through installs when you start up the games. There shouldn't be an issue if you play without the updates, except that any game with an online mode probably won't let you go online without the update.