The purpose of Candyland

I often see a LOT of comments discussing a lot of games and their validity as games. "X is not a game" "X is more of a social experiment than a game" "It's ridiculous anyone considers X a game". It's all very bizarre and has quite a stench of gatekeeping. As an example from 2018-2019, The Mind is far less complex than, say, Root, but the concern if it's actually a game seems like such a bizarre debate.

Another factor of a game is purpose. There's a thread on here every so often where people come together to discuss how games like Candyland are pure garbage, best burned than experienced, and....it's really weird? Candyland wasn't made for redditors in 2025, it was made in a hospital by a polio victim for the purpose of having a game to play with other kids suffering from polio. The idea of taking something incredibly simple for the sake of sick children having a pretty board with some colors to distract from their difficult lives and getting really upset about its existence is just.......really weird. Children can have games, and it's odd that adults would have such super strong opinions about games not remotely tailored to them.

That's all. I have been thinking this for a while, saw yet another thread about this and figured I'd post this rant. I'd love to hear your thoughts.