What goes through your mind when you're playing video games ?

I'm curious to know what your thought process is like when gaming.

Is your mind blank / focused and your just playing off reflexes ? Or do you think with an inner monologue about your next move ? Or do you visualize/ form a mental image of your next move ?

Feels like a bunch of things at once. I think about what my hands should be doing. A part of me is going that's pretty cool/I really like that/this is a weird quirk/this is kind of a pain in the ass. Another part of me thinking what trophy I could get or should go for. Another part is like a frame-rate/tearing detector. A part of me is analyzing the space/enemies, the layout of it, the level design, and figuring out what the developers intended. Some part of me is going over the narrative I have thus far. Then a real life thing pops into my head which makes me say "ah fuck."

I think some combination of all these things happen constantly but because I've been doing it for so long it feels seamless.

Sandwiches. Mostly sandwiches.

When I'm playing a normal game, I'm usually pretty invested and think about how things are gonna go. When i'm playing a card game, like Hearthstone, Gwent or Magic Arena I'm usually thinking the same thing, that I really like playing card games but I'm the unluckiest son of a bitch in the known universe haha. RNGesus wants to see me suffer. I should not play card games is the lesson here, it irrationally angers me unlike anything else, it's silly.

For me, it all depends on the game. For example, If I'm playing something like AC series or the Witcher, something that has a great storyline - then I like to be focused as much as possible. On the other hand, while playing racing games and such - then I like to go places if you know what I mean :D

"Don't let dinner burn."

I'm usually thinking about the games qualities, focused on noticing all the details lovingly crafted by talented people, and likewise being critical of things that aren't so great (doing this a lot with Total War: Three Kingdoms and the UI issues the series continues to have).
Also optimization, thinking about what i can do to improve a games stability.
I am paying attention to story content, but i'm much more technically minded.