1. why is an email address required?
and 2. it seemed like there were only 8 people online. are there even any games available, are there tourneys etc?
Thanks for your questions!
1. Emails are needed so you don't get locked out of your account (and your bitcoins). Without email there is no way to verify the account owner and reset your password. That's the main reason, but it's also needed for most of the social features on the site to notify you about friend requests, forum posts, etc. If you're really against it, you can enter a fake email and you'll still be able to register.
2. The site is only a few days old, and I haven't done any promotions other than posting here on Bitcointalk. There are currently 10 ring games with a wide variety of buy-in levels. There is a freeroll starting tonight (see my next post!) and I'll be announcing some tournaments in the next few days. I expect you'll be seeing a lot more players online soon.
Thanks again for your questions and if you have any other thoughts I'd be very happy to hear them!
~BitCrazyCoin