Take 2252B/D, 2253C/F, and 2254D/E/F/G as examples. Like some other problem statements out there, they're basically:
"There's an array a of n integers, there's an operation that you can do under some conditions/that transform a into array b, find whether such operation is possible/maximum no. of operations possible/something from b/a given b/etc." "There's an integer/array, it's called 'x' if it follows certain conditions, find number of x's in a certain range/minimum number of some operations to make it x/etc."
Like, I know it takes some effort, but at least write a story. Take a look at 2257B. It's way more interesting (and more fun to try to solve). Heck, even such a classic problem everyone knows like 4A "Watermelon" has a story of Pete and Billy buying a watermelon, instead of just "you are given an integer w, find whether it is possible to find integers a and b such that both a and b are even and a + b = w."
Making problem statements stories also makes solvers learn how to 'figure out the actual problem'. When you see "Joseph bought 400 cookies at the cost of $2 each, he wants 10% profit, find the price of each cookie he has to set", you'll figure out that it's basically "400 * $x = 110% of (400 * $2), find x". Some CF statements nowadays skip right to the figured out part, and what's left is just finding the tricky solution. You won't find this kind of problems in reality, or at least in ICPC/OIs. It's not fun nor helpful.
I agree that a good story can make a problem much more interesting and memorable. However, I think there is another side to this: some problems get criticized because the story makes the problem harder to understand, even if it isn't necessarily very long.
For example, some problems from Codeforces Round 1117 (Div. 2).
I don't think this means stories are bad. A good story can add flavor and context, but if it makes the actual task difficult to understand, it becomes an obstacle rather than an improvement. I think the best statements strike a balance between having an interesting story and making the core problem clear.
I see your point.... length is rarely an issue to me, but I understand that "making the core problem clear" takes higher priority, perhaps even the highest.
Hmm... for the "some problems get criticized because the story makes the problem harder to understand" part, I feel like so long as the core problem is clear (it is certain that there won't be any misunderstandings), it's fair enough. Finding out what the problem actually asks you is a skill I find important, not just in CP. It'd be nice to sharpen the ability by reading the statements, even if some people's main point in CP is to learn the algorithms and when to use them.