But that still doesn't mean that they are right
. Following that logic, any game/movie/book/anything is
omg so good, fantastic!, and we shouldn't be critical of them. That task by its nature, is comparative. As one becomes more experienced and its tastes mature, sooner or later, it becomes more demanding from any medium. And with games, it comes down to more interesting and challenging designs and mechanics/interaction, regardless of the genre.
Sure. But by the same token, it remains the case that what any individual thinks of a game/movie/book/anything is highly subjective. The only objective criteria that can be defined in terms of liking something, is that the greater number of 'subjects' like a game/movie/book/anything, the more objectively that game/movie/book/anything is likeable.
Objectivity is in the end what we agree with the largest number of people to be true. Those with the maturest tastes are almost by definition less likely to be in large numbers, so they are in that sense more subjective than what the 'majority' likes. In other words, casuals are by definition more right than hardcore gamers.
On the other hand, hardcore gamers are, through their experience, more demanding, so they are also willing to pay more money for a deeper experience, so that may, fortunately, balance out somewhat, or the hardcore would be starved of good games pretty quickly.
But what you have to realise is that even hardcore gameres/movie-goers/readers/anything are typically hardcore only in one or a few 'genres'. They only play shooters, or racers, but often not both for instance. And then games that fill a niche demand, like good adventure / puzzle / detective, will be appreciated more easily because they don't have any competition and the demand for them is there. As joker for instance mentioned, a game that you can play with your spouse fills a specific demand. The same goes for games you can play with, or even in front of (!) your kid(s). Etc.
A more 'mature' taste is not necessarily better. It can also be more cynical, jaded, specialist - someone who has had only solo-sex his whole life may become an expert in auto-erotic asphyxiation, but does that really make him 'better' or even 'happier'?
More useful is an understanding of craftmanship - why a game/movie/book/anything works in a certain way or with a certain audience, and then use that knowledge to find or create something that someone you know (or you yourself) will like and appreciate. As a literary major myself (with narrative technique as a specialty), this is the skill I personally enjoy most. For many other things, I find being able to see through narrative structures like plain glass is often somewhat of a nuisance - it is hard to be surprised by something.
