As a farmer in a previous life, I 10000% do not understand Farming Simulator as a game for entertainment. Farming as a career is either mind-numbingly boring, or overwhelmingly depressing. There is nothing else.

How does that possibly translate to a video game?

Well as a programmer, it seems stupid for me to write mind-numbingly tedious electronic instructions for a computer all day every day, and then in the evening go home and do the same thing but in an even more convoluted, artificial and non-consequential manner. Yet here I am 500 hours into Factorio.

Video games are predicated on quick achievement of short term goals, so it's not actually realistic.. If you had to sit staring out a window at an empty field for 16 hours a day no one would do it either.

You are right about most games, but then there is stuff like Truck simulators (EuroTruck Simulator, and there is an American one). I've dipped into a few streams to watch and I just don't get it. I know driving can be relaxing, but some of the "hauls" people do actually take hours. Hours, to virtually haul stuff from point A to B! Kudos to those who enjoy it, but I also struggle to understand it.

I don't even mean the watching the crops or livestock grow. I mean the actual work part, too. Planting row crops is legit the most boring work I've ever participated in. It is less than mindless.

And that seems like the most active part of that game. Maybe if the physics were wonky that would be funny, at least. But this is one that I can't wrap my mind around.

Believe it or not repetitive tasks can be quite relaxing and even restorative (in the meditative sense). A couple years ago I started practicing (disc golf) putting in my back yard to get better at the game. Many don't because its boring. And it was.. at first. Then it turned into something else. I started to crave the repetitiveness. Training myself to be patient, to not feel down if I missed a lot, etc. I started to get really good, and oddly that brought me far less joy than the simple art of practicing. Turns out its an ancient, well known phenomena. In your case, its associated with (presumably) a negative experience so probably a bit different. I just bet most people that play that game start to get that meditative experience without specifically seeking it out, but return regularly (and benefit!) despite that.

Being a member of the military deployed in a warzone is no doubt terrifying; for you and your family. However, video games built around that premise do pretty well!

I think it's fair to say that in order to be enjoyable, most games don't try give a realistic representation of the entire experience.

Video games are just work fine tuned to produce a level of reward and learning that is psychologically satisfying. Jumping and murdering turtles isn't fun, but it's a fun video game because it's designed to be fun.