If you put good seeds in soil and provide the right environment, they will germinate and sprout. In nature, the seeds are dropped in the fall and are covered by leaves and other organic material through the fall and winter. When the spring comes, the rain and melting snow along with warmer temps cause the seeds to germinate. \
They really dont germinate under all sorts of conditions, they need a specific environment.
They dont need dark, but keeping them out of direct light prevents them from drying. If the seed cracks in direct light, the fragile tap root can be quickly killed.
I dont see how a paper towel is any easier to control than a little pot of soil. In soil you dont have to worry about damaging the tap root when planting or orienting the seed properly, it does that by itself.
I used to do the paper towel thing and it worked for me. After some experience I realized that the paper towel was just another unnecessary step. Its not necessarily bad, its just unnecessary. It also saves me from having to pick up opened seeds with tweezers and plant them. I have the same success rate with putting them directly in soil, probably a bit better.
I do soak seeds in a cup of room temp water overnight to kick start the process. I dont wait for the seed to crack, just want to introduce water and warmth to start the process. Then into soil it goes.