The answer is that the pretend rewards feel so much more immediately satisfying. I just bought a house and a pony, ya’ll.

There was a time last year where at least four members of the GamesRadar team were religiously playing Stardew Valley. And I mean religiously. I’m talking spreadsheets, notepads filled with frantic scribblings on crop seasons, planting patterns and what gifts each of the various villagers might appreciate. Oh, and then there was the WhatsApp group dedicated to picking apart every facet of ConcernedApe’s creation. Tiling pixelated soil is serious business, folks. There is a certain majesty to the way in which management sim games end up sinking their hooks into prospective players. Not to mention a certain madness that’s associated with playing them so regularly that entire days can be wasted away investing in these small business enterprises, with the compulsion eventually leading to these moments where you end up looking at the clock and wondering why it reads 2:00 am when the last time you looked outside, the sun was still shining. 

— Read on www.gamesradar.com/why-are-management-sims-so-popular-right-now-and-what-does-it-say-about-our-gaming-habits/