For me it depends on the game, spent hundreds possibly thousands of hours playing skyrim not long after it released and yeah I'd say there was quite a lot of escapism there. It has a story you can follow plus lots of other side stories that you can get into.
Sense of achievement is a big one for me though. Not big achievements.. In warcraft for example I'd say getting a character those few steps closer to max level, or leveling a profession up a few tiers is as satisfying as say cleaning a room of the house. That kinda level of achievement.
Obviously there's the potential for significantly greater achievement in games especially online competitive ones but tbh I'm not that suited to the fast pace anymore. I can't take it seriously enough like I could 15 or so years ago.
The scapegoating I've heard about myself has always come from people at least 40 years old and with zero background of gaming. I once spoke with a lady in (I think) her late 40s, possibly early 50s, who truly believed these kids with a "gaming addiction" who spend "up to 20 hours per week" playing fortnite are playing an excessive amount of video games.
Even today if I'm alone at home I can quite happily spend 10+ hours online in just one day. I can also happily leave it alone if I have other stuff to do. Back in the 90s I also did the same sort of thing as these kids with the "problem", 20 hours a week is just shy of 3 hours a day average.
That's a problem in the eyes of the elderly-at-heart because it's video games. But ask them if they themselves have a problem with soap operas, glasses of wine and junk food and it's "don't be ridiculous". Because, you know.. Video games are just evil. And younger generations always have something wrong with them, obviously.
So yeah the escapism, the achievement, interaction with others too actually, all from the comfort of my own home here in damp Englandland.
