Cosy games are meant to be relaxing, almost stress-free experiences that revolve around repetition and reward playing them in small doses each day. I can understand why hardcore gamers don't like them, but at the same time they're not made for them.

Well, I'm making one so i guess i can't say they suck. I do feel like a lot of them aren't great games, though. As in, they create a good vibe but they often lack solid gameplay. I think the writing in some I've played leans far too much into awkward and insecure characterizations too, and that gets tiring for me quickly. I'm trying to avoid those pitfalls in mine.

Are there cozy games that aren't Stardew Valley?

I think you should play whatever the fuck you enjoy and anyone who criticizes you for it can eat shit

They're not really for me, as I find it difficult to relax while playing them, but I'm glad they exist.

Gaming had a real identity crisis around the 2000s, when every other game was a brown military shooter.
Now we've got cute games and cozy games and artsy games, and I feel like that opens up the genre to more people and enriches the whole medium.

Cozy games are more difficult to make, though, because the gameplay is not anymore just "point cursor at screen and click in the right moment". So, yeah, you will get some worse examples, especially as the genre is still figuring itself out.

There's this concept in game design called game flow, which in simple terms is essentially what happens when a game is both engaging and challenging at just the right amounts to the point where you get immersed in the experience. You can't have good flow without both some challenge and reward.

That's why games that are too simple and/or easy are boring. I feel like that's a very fine line you have to walk if you want to make a "cozy" game. How relaxing is relaxing enough without being boring? You need a minimum of challenge and stakes, because that's makes good games good.