I like painting minis way more than the game. I'm not great at video games, I just really enjoy the stories you can tell.

Miniature painting is an amazing hobby to show people, everyone always gets amazed because "it's so small! How do you do it?" - even if your painting skills are subpar, simply being able to do anything is already enough to amaze anyone outside the hobby

For videogames, I personally love anything that can be cooperative and/or chaotic. For story focused games, talking about the characters tends to be what gets people more interested in participating, much like fans of any movie or show enjoy talking about them. As proof: Tali Zora is the best girl in Mass Effect, Picard is the best Star Trek captain because he's pragmatic.

Humans naturally love gossip! The key difference that can lead to interesting chats is asking people who "don't like games": "if you could control character ABC from the show, what would you do different?", that's usually what makes them understand why games with a story can be so interesting to play

Maybe you opened my eyes to a better me just now. Maybe it's more I need to find joy in the things I like, rather than just doing them. (...) If I like me, others can like me too.

Understanding and being able to explain why you like your stuff can certainly help, as you can then properly share with others why you like it, you understand the value of your skill and indeed, when you know your value, it's easier to like yourself. I really hope all these insights help you figure your own self 😊 (and anyone else that might be reading)