What Diablo, Borderlands and Genshin Impact Teach Us About Anticipation

It only takes a few hours in Diablo to understand the phenomenon. You defeat a boss, watch a shower of loot hit the ground, and then hold your breath for a few seconds. Is this finally the legendary weapon you’ve been hunting for days? Maybe. Maybe not. And yet, you instantly start another run.

That feeling isn’t unique to RPGs. You’ll find it in Borderlands, in gacha games like Genshin Impact, and in countless experiences built around anticipation. The common thread isn’t chance itself but the excitement of not knowing exactly when the next big moment will arrive. That small element of uncertainty can transform an ordinary activity into something surprisingly engaging.

Behavioral psychologists have studied this mechanism for decades. They call it variable rewards—rewards that appear at unpredictable times rather than on a fixed schedule. Because every attempt could produce something valuable, our brains remain naturally invested in seeing what happens next.

Diablo Turned Loot Into the Heart of the Game

Before Diablo, equipment mainly served as a way to progress through a game. Blizzard completely changed that formula. Every enemy became an opportunity, even the weakest ones. A simple chest could contain an ordinary sword… or a unique item capable of completely transforming your character build.

With Diablo II, this system evolved into a culture of its own. Players began farming the same bosses for hours, sometimes even weeks, simply because an extremely rare item might finally drop. Even today, many veterans can still recite the famous “Mephisto runs” and “Baal runs” from memory. To them, it wasn’t wasted time. It was an endless treasure hunt.

And that’s where things become fascinating. The enjoyment didn’t come solely from finally obtaining the item. Much of the excitement came from believing that the next fight could be the one. That possibility alone was often enough to launch another game.

Borderlands Takes Randomness to Another Level

If Diablo popularized loot, Borderlands unleashed it completely.

Gearbox created a weapon generation system built from countless interchangeable components. The result is billions of possible combinations. Two rifles with nearly identical names can perform in completely different ways once you take them into combat.

This abundance changes how people play. You’re no longer completing missions simply to advance the story. You open every chest with curiosity. You’ve beaten a boss once again and perhaps luck will finally be with you.

After hours of wondering, I still have that curiosity. You never know what’s around the corner, and that’s the allure of returning players.

Gacha Games are more reliant on rarity.

Gacha games take a similar route, albeit with some variations.

In the game titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, gamers may be looking to obtain a certain uncommon character. The odds are clearly listed, so that everyone is aware of how tough it is to get a five-star character.

It could appear disheartening at first look. In fact, it is a common scenario in practice.

Green = high human impact, Red = high AI impact. Click sentences to swap alternatives. Every summon carries suspense. The character might appear immediately… or much later. Nobody knows in advance.

Developers don’t hide this system. In fact, they build entire events around it, introducing limited-time characters that become major occasions for the community.

Our Brains Love Surprises

Why do these systems work so well?

The work of neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz has significantly advanced our understanding of how the brain responds to unpredictable rewards. Dopamine isn’t released only when we finally receive a reward. It also appears during anticipation, while we’re imagining what might happen next.

That distinction matters.

In many cases, anticipation becomes just as enjoyable as the reward itself.

That’s also why some games remain engaging for hundreds of hours without relying on particularly complex storytelling. Every chest represents another possibility. And our brains are naturally drawn to possibilities.

When Each Step Builds on the Last

The same logic appears, somewhat surprisingly, in sports betting.

A single bet usually revolves around one result. A parlay, on the other hand, unfolds across several matches. The first selection wins. Then the second. Gradually, the tension builds. The more picks that come through, the easier it becomes to imagine that the entire ticket might actually succeed.

As part of that process, many enthusiasts also spend time studying live football betting Canada before building their parlay. They compare statistics, analyze team form, and search for the strongest combinations available. That preparation almost becomes part of the entertainment itself. It extends the excitement long before kickoff.

In many ways, it’s not so different from a Diablo player carefully optimizing gear before challenging a particularly difficult boss.

The Preparation Nobody Sees

These activities are sometimes dismissed as being driven purely by luck. That overlooks everything that happens beforehand.

RPG players invest time optimizing character builds, understanding item statistics, and identifying the best farming locations. Very little is left entirely to chance.

Sports wagering fanatics tend to take about the same approach. They learn about past games, injuries, form, probable lineups, and dates. There is of course no way to predict the results of any football game. However, all that research adds to the experience and makes it so much more interesting.

Finally, the last reward is virtually like a cherry on the cake. The fun is in the making of.

A mechanic, who can do anything.

The most interesting thing is that such systems are based on very different worlds. Diablo wanted to make the dungeon exploration more rewarding. Borderlands was designed to make all the guns distinct. Gacha games are based on gathering. A parlay is a sequence of one or more sports events that are linked together in one story.

But they all share the same core principle – that of creating a thirst for the next thing.

It’s this that makes it quite common for many gamers to enjoy a handful of these experiences simultaneously. They see the same sense of excitement, the same curiosity, and the same sense that the next shot could be something that they’ll never forget.

Whether it’s opening a legendary chest in Diablo, finding out about an incredible weapon in Borderlands, summoning a very rare character in a gacha game, or watching the last game in a winning parlay, it’s never really about chance. It’s born of anticipation, out of that little bit of uncertainty, and from that sense that maybe something memorable is about to happen.