Let me guess, for most people it is easier to do some mundane task like cleaning in the virtual world rather than, say, actyally cleaning their flat or washing dishes (there’s a pile of dishes in my sink as I write this)? I presume you must get this dopamine hit from these games just by starting the game, which we do not get from actually doing boring stuff?

I found only way to actually train your brain to do boring stuff (ie. what today’s parlance is called ”productivity”) is to just do boring stuff regularly and limit the exposure to excitement (games, social media) in such a way that you don’t need a massive dopamine boost to just wash dishes or stufy for an exam. Perhaps these games just are a way for people to train their brains for less exciting (but much more happier) life?