Let me just say, if your managing billions of workers (yeast) to make you beer, you really want to make them happy. You want to avoid a strike, or a work slowdown at all cost. Therefore controlling the primary fermentation temperature to keep them happy is very important. This is in my opinion very critical, higher temperature primary fermentation can add esters and other by products than can change the beer from your intentions.
Different yeast, different temperatures. Lagers can be a true pain because they really need different temperatures at different times to make their best beers. Ale yeast can work at different temps, but 60 is getting a little low for some of the west coast ones.
Keeping your primary fermentation with the optimum range for the yeast strain being used makes a dramatic difference in the beer you make. It is not required, but very important.