Yes. This is a very well-documented psychological phenomenon.
I'm sure it is for some. I always found it just overhead because for me the reward was playing the game. This seems like a very "one true way" and "everyone thinks the same as I do" statement. It may be true in general, but individuals vary. I assume you could find some study that "proves" this but those studies look at one aspect of motivation in isolation, they don't consider the entire experience.
Seeing progress bars fill up as a result of your actions is satisfying. It just is. Is it the only satisfying thing? Of course not. Is it the most satisfying thing? Probably not to most people. I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that I’m making any sort of statement about “the entire experience (of D&D).” And I’m very explicitly
not saying that using XP is “the one true way.” I have been very clear and direct in saying there are perfectly legitimate reasons one might not want to use XP, and that it isn’t right for every campaign. I just think that
most campaigns could benefit from using it. If yours is not among them, great! Have fun!
I never really cared about XP. I cared that we saved the day, defeated the bad guy. XP was just an annoying hassle and led to "Can we just go kill some orcs? I'm really close to levelling!" Blech. I want players doing what they think their PCs would do, not what the game dictates.
“Can we go kill some orcs? I’m really close to leveling!” is literally the effect I’m talking about in action. Humans are motivated to make the progress bar fill up. Now, you may not like the effect that causes on your game, that’s totally fine. But the effect is very real.
Before people chime in "Why would anyone risk their lives without that XP dangled in front of them?" Why do people climb mountains? Volunteer to go to war? Ever leave their parent's basement? Leave home to explore the wilderness? People take risks all the time. The reasons they risk their necks will vary from person to person. When I play D&D I want to motivate the character, not the player.
I wasn’t going to chime in anything of the sort. I’m well aware that XP isn’t the only thing that can motivate players to adventure. Heck, if they didn’t want to go on adventures, they wouldn’t be playing D&D in the first place, and XP wouldn’t change that.
But the fact that it became the sole motivation is what I hate about XP. It's no longer role playing what their characters would do, it's grinding out XP. That does mean that I'm not the right DM for some people. I've come to realize that's not really a problem, it's just reality that I can't be the right DM for everyone.
Right. So like I’ve been saying, it’s an example of how powerful that progress bar effect can be; it’s also a perfectly legitimate reason someone might not want to use XP.
For some people. Not for everyone.
That’s like saying jackhammer isn’t a powerful tool for everyone. A jackhammer is objectively a powerful tool. It might not be the right tool for the job you’re doing, and if so, obviously you shouldn’t use it. But it’s still a powerful tool, independently of your need for it (or lack thereof).