The focus on lore is one of the more interesting things I see in Splinterlands. I remember reading somewhere about job satisfaction where there are aspects which cause you to not dislike a job ("hygiene" factors) and aspects which cause you to actively enjoy a job ("motivation" factors).

I view video games, including P2E ones, in a similar way - games need to have both a solid foundation which doesn't give you any cause to hate the game (e.g., fair play, and opportunities for higher skill to pay off), and an extra "something else" which makes players love playing a game and want to come back for more. Having a rich lore and a compelling story is a great way for the developers to add that something else, and I'm very happy to see that it is not neglected in Splinterlands.