Hi R17,

As a guitar instructor, I agree with the others who have responded to your post: it is only "necessary" if you like fingerstyle guitar music and wish to learn to play it.

If you do decide you want to give it a try, I have a fingerpicking tutorial aimed at beginners that should help get you started.

Here's the link:
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=272

Good luck - have fun!
-Lisa