I love the loop of "earning" a new area of discovery. Games that rollercoaster or funnel me from setpiece and setpiece rarely grab me, but games that make me prove myself to "unlock" new vistas and places to explore is just my favorite thing. Add on a nice style with good atmopshere and solid variation and I'm there for the entire ride.
Examples: Metroidvanias, Souls, Jak 1, PoP 08, Zelda, Okami. And probably some that I don't immediately recall.
Another good one that I kinda create for myself is the aim to become as broken as possible. Read up on mechanics, figure stuff out, min/max, use FAQs if you have to, create a plan. AND THEN BECOME A GOD! Games that are a little too open ended in their character progression for their own good are great for this.
Examples: Souls again, many Jrpgs, Isometric rpgs, Bethesda games (too easy lol), and some weird outliers every once in a while.
And then there is the obvious loop of self improvment or developing a skill. Not neccessarily repetition or practice, since I don't have the patience for it. But learning how to make a game do what you want it to do. Learning how to style with the mechanics, how to beat your opponents and how to feel as one with the game. Multiplayer is an obvious core for stuff like this.
Examples: MOBAS, Starcraft, Fighting games, Devil May Cry/Bayonetta, Souls AGAIN, Bullet Hell and first person shooters I guess (not my thing).
I love loops! They are such an interesting subject of design in entertainment.
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