Most miners mine for immediate profit numbers to convert to Bitcoin or ETH, some mine with a more speculative forward looking view on a strong project they believe will be worth a lot more if they meet their development goals. I can’t speak for others but I mine Raptereum almost exclusively because out of all the crypto projects I have mined, researched, & accumulated Raptereum seems to have the best overall solution to a variety of blockchain problems all on one protocol. Especially when it goes multi chain. Not perfect, no system is, but the best in my opinion.
Mining and investing this way does carry a higher risk/reward profile and it takes an extraordinary amount of patience.
Another thing for me is the development team and community. It is one of the best communities you will find anywhere, not just in crypto. It is a highly skilled group of individuals that are here because they believe that what they are building is one of the greatest & most versatile blockchain systems since Bitcoin. In my experience what really sets them apart is that there is also, for the most part, a sense of humility, concerted effort, & willingness to help that you usually don’t get when you are dealing with very intelligent and talented people. So many great community members here from the top down with a lot of skill & willingness to help with explanations, etc.
Not a financial advice!