Unfinished Tasks

What psychological mechanisms might cause a video game to accidentally instill a real-life habit?

Operant Conditioning and Unpredictable Rewards Video games are masters of operant conditioning, especially the variable ratio schedule, where rewards drop at unpredictable times. Loot boxes, rare item drops, and daily bonuses all use this trick. Your brain gets a hit of dopamine not just when the reward arrives, but while...