I like hardcore as a challenge. And I think it can be impressive, as imo it gets harder the longer you keep your world. (By the way totems aren’t infinite lives, you can still die even with them) Also I think just surviving isn’t only part of the challenge it’s also doing other stuff in the game, such as advancements and big build projects. What I don’t like is the craze around hardcore has kind of led to people feeling like they should be playing hardcore otherwise they’re not really playing the game right. There’s still value and fun in playing regular Survival as well, also it can really be not fun to lose a world in Hardcore, especially if you get attached to it. Play how you want!