What "Kusoge" means is essentially "fun shit game". It's mostly used in the fighting game circles but i've seen people use it for some other type of games, usually JRPGs. And i've seen people echo the same sentiment towards other type of games a lot even if they don't know the exact term to describe it.
The way I see it, it's an oxymoron for wine sipping pseudointellectuals who think their taste is so "refined" that they can't just admit that a fun game is good if they perceive it to have "on paper" flaws which prevent it from being "good".
If a game is fun, then it is not shit. The role of a game is to entertain the player. Just like how the job of a cleaning product is to clean bacteria from surfaces. Just like how the job of a lamp is to illuminate the surroundings. If it succeeds at entertaining the player then it is good. If it fails to entertain the player, then it is bad. Simple. You can argue other games are better if they are more polished or better designed or whatever. But ultimately, if it is fun then it is good.
This sort of "kusoge" mentality just confuses things and doesn't give developers credit where it is due for creating games that other people will enjoy. I've seen games which people admit are fun(kusoge) get completely trashed by those same people and reviewbombed and ultimately flop as a result. It's a very anti-fun mentality that makes people forget why they play games to begin with and hurts the industry.
I live in Japan and my friends and I use this word all the time.
I consider most crappy gatcha games as kusoge.
Things can be simultaneously be good and bad based on different parameters.
And the 'role' of a game is going to be highly subjective.
Different people look to games for different kinds of enjoyment.
Soda is extremely harmful to the body, but can also simultaneously be delicious for example.
So is it a 'good' drink?
Just as soda's appeal lies in its taste despite its health drawbacks, a game's initial enjoyment factor doesn't necessarily correlate with its overall quality or impact on players' well-being, or even their overall enjoyment of the game over time.
The term
kusoge ofen ackowledges that games are addicting but also makes note of questionable design choices that might stand out to someone.
I personally do not think any type of game (or anything really) should be free from subjectivity or criticism. Additionally, I think that constructive criticism in gaming is vital, as it not only guides players in their choices but also pushes developers towards innovation and addressing player concerns.
Ultimately, I think the major issue that you bring up is the review bombing, which I would agree is immature if the people doing so haven't even played the game. I too wish that didn't happen, though I don't like the phenomenon of people simping for games to shield them from criticism either.
