It's also not loading JUST several figures into a scene.. it's loading the figures, any conforming props, hair, clothing, boots, weapons, shoes, hats ground, plants buildings, birds, you name it!

And a LOT of those things can be pretty high poly as well.
 
A fully clothing figure have had easily twice the resources used, because of all the texture maps and meshes loaded.

Way too many people take way too many things way too seriously.