Exactly how important is it to start the game with a +3 ability score modifier?

With so many options and different ways to play, no, I don’t think a +3 is needed at first level. Heck, I've never sat down at a table in AL and thought "Gee, that character is clearly underperforming as result of their build choices."
 

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Pauper

That guy, who does that thing.
Agree with those who say it's not a big deal -- my current favorite character is a half-orc wizard with a higher Strength than Int, neither of which provide him with a +3 bonus. He's an Abjuration school wizard, so he doesn't cast many spells that require a save, but it's always a shock to DMs I haven't played with before when they get a kobold or something behind the front line and my character just takes a two-handed swing with his quarterstaff and drops it. I'm not actually sure what I'll do when he finally hits 4th level -- I don't see many feats I'm all that interested in, so I might just split the stat bump between Strength (getting him to 16) and something else.

I almost never build variant humans anymore -- a point-buy array of 15, 13, 12, 11, 11, 11 results in a standard human with a bonus in every stat, and you can still get a +3 in your prime stat if you really want it.** If I ever decide to build an experimental 'character with one level in every class', this is how I'll start it.

** - Or you can put it in Con. Con is really the most important stat in combat-heavy games, regardless of class.

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Pauper
 

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