I sometimes play without biters. I've found they are a good foil for your abilities.

Early on, they are a nuisance.

As you grow, they become a serious hurdle.

However, as you begin to outpace them, you gain a definitive upper hand. Nothing quite like the satisfaction of an artillery barrage to wipe out all the nests, while the survivors are cooked by your laser turrets, when they counter-attack.

Then again, factorio is a game that appeals to the masochistic perfectionist (particularly some of the mods), so I might be biased. 😁