Some other options.

If you have a joystick or wheel, flight Sims, space sims, racing games might be possible.

RTS games in single player mode (just play on an easier difficulty). Plenty of decent ones have been released in the last little while. Also, maybe 4x games, total war etc.

Digital Board Games might work too.

Yeah, I feel you. Good luck with it.

if what I suggested doesn’t help you, maybe modify it to suit you or try something completely different. I hope it does help though.

Video games are good at feeling rewarding very quickly, with minimal effort required to get that feeling. I think that makes it easy for them to become habitual.

Maybe I’m reading to much into it but consider asking a doctor or calling a helpline to see if they think you could have something like depression, ADHD, etc. Even if you don’t want to medicate, having a template of common patterns and tendencies for “your brain” can help you come up with strategies.

You could also consider other approaches.

I have a technique for doing things I don’t want to do that I find works well for me. I make a rule that says I have to start doing the thing I don’t want to do, and I have to do it for 60 seconds (adjust appropriately). If I want to stop after, then fine. It helps my brain switch to the new context and form new habits. Usually I end up doing more then the minimum but only if I want to.

I’ve also had days I woke up and wanted to game even though I actually knew I should go for a walk or get some outdoor stuff done. On those days I tell myself I can game, but I have to be ready for the day first. Similar to the above.

Also, to answer your question about game-like activities, some ideas:

Laser tag, paint bal etcl (shooters), escape rooms (puzzle games), board games/role play games, (turn based 😅), karaoke, dance classes, (music games), indoor rock climbing, hiking, (open world games)

A lot of other activities (pick almost any hobby) involve skill building which can be pretty rewarding in itself.

I may be way off base here so apologies if this post is preachy.

I would like to opt out.

My bank account number is 12345, the same as the combination on my luggage.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure

I’m a little confused. I had always read about dopamine as “the reward chemical” like in the link.

I imagine things are more complicated than that like you alluded to but I had always seen it written as a key part of the brain’s reward system and so makes sense to mention in the context of rewards in games.

Also we really shouldn’t be using drug metaphors in general when talking about games.

This and the title seems disingenuous to me. A dopamine rush or hit is not a drug metaphor but a reference to body chemistry in response to something that happens in a game.

Please correct me if I’m wrong