J. Walton you reminded me of something.

Some of this One Perfect Game feeling — and the attendant fuck all these games backlash — comes from my players as well. At least one would prefer just playing Burning Wheel forever and ever without break and without exception. Others dropped out of my RPG life entirely once I stopped running Exalted or some other White Wolf thing. At least one occasionally still derives pleasure from “beating” the GM, which is IMO more anti-collaborative than simple disinterest is. Very few have taken the time to ever talk about the game (positive or negative!), although they keep showing up so I take that as interest. Attendance is a terrible KPI.

Some of this is guy stuff (omg patriarchy!), everyone just generally sucking at emotional labor. When you’re wired to get excited about other people’s excitement, whew, that’s either exhausting or codependent or both.

None of that changes anything else in my OP but it’s definitely in there.