Speaking for myself at least, I just yearn for new experiences, new stories in the vein that I enjoy, when it comes to games and other entertainment as well. Repetition makes Jack a dull boy. There's so much to see out there, that I think one does oneself a disservice by getting stuck in the same games over and over.

Yes. And studies have shown recently that nostalgia actually relieves mental pain. So if you find yourself living like me, where your gaming space literally looks like something out of a time machine... you might need to talk to someone lol

I just love to buy things

I never pre ordered games, and buy very few games at launch. Even The Last of US 2, one of my favorite developers and I bought the game at $30. I love Resident Evil games, I buy them all at $20-$30.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20161123-shopping-a-sale-gives-you-the-same-feeling-as-getting-high

What’s really going on in your body and brain when you suspend rational thought and get enticed by a sale?

Many people think that dopamine is released when the brain receives a reward, but dopamine is actually released in anticipation of a reward.


Hence pre-ordering games and hype are a bigger reward than actually playing the games. Same as waiting for a sale.

Heck even planning a gaming session often feels better than actually playing. Anticipation is the actual reward.

Well this explains quite a bit as to my library. Regardless if it feels good, this is a bad habit, it'll have to be quarantined and eliminated. 

1. New experiences
2. If it's a new release, and not merely a new to me game, I sometimes will get it because I'm that interested or excited to play a game that could define its release year.
3. In terms of physical games (almost no way that's what you were asking) I often like new copies because they're in better condition.

I almost never buy new releases. If I haven't played a game before, then it is new to me. That is good enough. My backlog will not be tamed.

Yep and just having a backlog is its own reward system. All that anticipation!

This also explains why difficulty is rewarding (next to being a stark warning to cut down on social media)

The Dopamine Hijack

How modern life is stealing your focus, motivation, and joy.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/total-self-trust/202503/the-dopamine-hijack

Instant Gratification: The Enemy of Long-Term Success

Why does instant gratification ruin your motivation? Because motivation thrives on anticipation, not instant payoff (Sapolsky, 2017). The dopamine system evolved to reward effortful pursuit—not effortless consumption.

Today, we’ve reversed this equation:

• Want validation? Instant likes.
• Want entertainment? Endless streaming.
• Want distraction? Instagram and TikTok’s 15-second dopamine loops.

The brain quickly learns that effort is unnecessary. Over time, motivation evaporates, and goals that require patience and persistence—like building businesses, cultivating relationships, or mastering skills—feel exhausting and unrewarding.


Reclaiming Your Dopamine Pathways: 3 Steps to Freedom

The good news? You’re not stuck. Neuroscience shows your brain can be retrained through dopamine detox and strategic rewiring (Brewer, 2019).

1. Dopamine Detox: Press Reset

You don’t need to delete every app forever—just temporarily reset your dopamine pathways.

Try this:

• Take one day a week (or even one evening) entirely offline—no screens, notifications, or digital input.
• Notice boredom: It’s actually your brain recalibrating.
• Replace screen time with offline activities—nature walks, reading, journaling, or conversations with real humans.

2. Effort Over Instant Gratification

Your brain craves dopamine earned through effortful tasks because effort signals significance.

• Choose activities that provide delayed satisfaction—learning a skill, exercising, or working on a meaningful project.
• Break big tasks into smaller milestones. Your dopamine system thrives on incremental progress and reward.
• Celebrate small wins—dopamine loves feeling progress and momentum.

Hence difficult games are rewarding, as well as long quests with many steps. But also why games are so addictive!!!

The previous article I linked goes right into why loot boxes are so effective:

Unpredictability increases anticipation

When the monkeys got the treat all the time, a fair amount of dopamine was released during the pressing phase. When getting the treat was unpredictable, the amount of dopamine went up.

GAAS is build on this. For example Poe2 is one big RNG fest. The early access version is used to fine tune the best dopamine delivery system through drop rates and artificial scarcity. It's all about the loot. The game play merely the anticipation for loot drops. Roblox the same, all about the loot.

You play your favorite game enough, it’ll eventually stop being your favorite game. Plus, new experiences are always good. How would’ve I ever known about TLoU, Pikmin 4, Mario Wonder, etc., if I only ever played Zelda TotK? It’s better to have several “favorite games” than one.