Having a seat at the table among those who are admirably impressive, and masters of their craft.
The “git gud” grind, and the satisfaction from being someone who can answer questions and show other people how to get better.
The nugget of dopamine that comes from “winning” – solving a problem and making progress.
Reaching achievements such as rank/elo -> certificates, projects, levelling up jobs or promotions.
Becoming really good at something, and seeing personal stature rise within the community as you become better, more experienced – being able to productively butthead with other brilliant peers.
Coding has it’s own meta, arguments and community similar to games.