I'd like to amend my previous post to add something which may be a bit out of scope for what is being asked, but it was pretty powerful none the less - when the first game I was a part of was released. I'd been in the game industry as a programmer, but none of the stuff I worked on was ever released (and the experience was a total nightmare that I do not look back on fondly). I ultimately left the game industry and was out of it for years, when I heard that a game designer I respected from my childhood (his game literally made me want to make games for a living) was working on a new game after a LONG absence. I emailed him through his website and basically said, whatever help you need, I'll do it. Let me work on this game with you. To my infinite surprised, he emailed me back.
Long story short, I ended up getting a job writing dialogue for the game. That's usually not a very prestigious job in game development, but it was this time. And I LOVED doing it. I had experience writing things before, and I've always enjoyed it, but this was pure joy, beginning to end. I would've done it for free. I would've done it forever, if they let me. But eventually, I kind of finished it all and the game actually got published.
Doing a game professionally was all I ever wanted, but then it turned into the last thing I wanted, and then it was my favorite thing in the whole world. I wanted to make games since I was kid, and I finally did it. It was surprisingly low key though. I guess I was expecting trumpets to play or something. Since I worked remotely, there wasn't a launch party (and in fact, I didn't even know what the game looked like!). So, really, the first thing I did was download it and play it.
Then I went and read the reviews. The first one was positive, but towards the end, it started praising the dialogue. Like REALLY praising it. They compared it to Douglas Adams, then pulled out quotes from it that they enjoyed. And I'm like, "I wrote that part! That's me! You're talking about me!" Then the next review was also positive, and praised the dialogue. Then the next one. And I was glowing for the better part of the day, completely high on attention and praise. I went to sleep that night, grinning ear to ear.
Then the next day I woke up and the buzz was gone. I was like, I did it. Everything that I ever wanted out of life, since I was in 5th grade, I just accomplished. Now what?