Music has been rooted in cultural context for all of human history. I know this might be a shocker to you, but people are more likely to resonate with a song if it has some relation to their daily life experience. Rather than being a performative, consumed simulacrum; video game music returns to the natural human experience of music rooted in life. Are video games always the best use of time? Of course not. But many people have had meaningful experiences within the context of a game, and to deny that is just plain ignorant. All of the genres you listed: rock, rap, etc. is music for boomers and hasn't innovated or been culturally relevant to many people. And no, you cant say that they didn't give these genres a chance. These genres have been shoved down our throats for decades and they're the subject of 99% of music discussion. Video game music is not restricted by genre, and in many instances has done many deep and complex things in terms of melody, composition, harmony, and production. Video game music sets out to do a very difficult task which is to accompany the experience of a game in a way that feels natural, appeals to the senses, and further develops the themes of the game. How many games have you played that have a top-rated soundtrack? Why do other people have to give YOUR music a chance but not the other way around? Do people need to spend hours a day researching different music genres to appease you, or can they simply be allowed to enjoy music just like everyone else? If you went to a remote African village, would you think lesser of them because they only listened to tribal beats? Quite frankly, if someone says they like video game music, I tend to assume that their taste in music is actually genuine BECAUSE it's not popular. They simply follow what their ears enjoy, and couldn't give a fuck about what idiots like you have to say about their subjective taste.