“Fun and interesting” is actually a very complicated collection of attributes.
For example, some games are designed to appeal to so-called “casual” gamers (e.g., low barrier to entry, gradual accumulation of gameplay features, shallow depth of gameplay), and some games are designed to appeal to so-called “hardcore” gamers (e.g., complex gameplay, unforgiving level design, reliance on hand-eye coordination and twitch reflexes, complicated mythology and plot).
Pandering to the masses often means the former at the (perceived) expense of the latter.
“Fun and interesting” is actually a very complicated collection of attributes.
For example, some games are designed to appeal to so-called “casual” gamers (e.g., low barrier to entry, gradual accumulation of gameplay features, shallow depth of gameplay), and some games are designed to appeal to so-called “hardcore” gamers (e.g., complex gameplay, unforgiving level design, reliance on hand-eye coordination and twitch reflexes, complicated mythology and plot).
Pandering to the masses often means the former at the (perceived) expense of the latter.