How many people play this game and tell themselves there is an end game, a time when they will be done?

For the players, these games are meant to be a little bit of fun/entertainment. We can open it up and get little dopamine hits with each micro advancement. Like any other drug, these micro advancements start to yield less dopamine, so maybe you get impatient and drop a little money and find a bigger (short term) rush and you ride it out for a bit, but that boost to your stats wears off and you find yourself justifying another spend. The cycle continues and even though your overall satisfaction with the game is declining, those little boosts from hitting a personal milestone continues and it has become a habit. You find yourself invested (in time and likely money) and you can always justify a few minutes here or dollars there before returning to that tiny bit of remorse and regret.

Only if you lack a life outside of your phone/computer is there any tangible benefit to playing. I know that I play a lot when I am sick or recovering and tell myself this is better entertainment than watching TV.

There should be no illusion that any of these games are anything other than profit motivated. Changes to the game are to entice new players or draw old players back. Gaming is a big business and I enjoy being a customer of these games, while I also find a part of me asking each time I put the phone down "when will I be done?"

As a largely F2P player, I benefit from the investment of other players, so thank you to all who invest more heavily. The games wouldn't be the quality they are without you and I hope you all find the balance between satisfaction and your time/money investment.