Have you ever wanted to explore space but it’s just ever so slightly too difficult for you? Exactly the range of too difficult where it’d suddenly be possible if you were like one-third albatross? Well, have we ever got the hot 80s sci-fi game for you!
System Mastery 
>Re: Why people like playing shit-farmers
Oh, it’s real simple actually. Having power is not what feels good, what feels good is _gaining_ power. The increase, not the current amount. The lower you start down the totem pole, the more opportunities you have (over the course of your career) to experience a powerup that feels like a tangible boost in your success rate and range of options, and that’s the thing that gets the ol’ dopamine receptors going.
Oh, and as for “can’t you just SAY you did that” – no, of course not. That’s silly. Saying you had sex and actually having sex are not equivalent experiences.
I always thought it was about the sense of accomplishment. A peasant overcoming an orc is a bigger achievement than Pun Pun killing Tiamat. The only thing that escalation gives you is gratuitous mechanical complexity.
In either case, there’s zero sense of accomplishment in just saying that you did something. You might as well stay home and write a novel, if you’re just going to fiat narrate your daring deeds.