Why there is hidden object games? [train inside]

I started playing hidden object games when the genre was predominantly about that: screen after screen of hidden objects to find, with some form of story to hook them. The Samantha Swift games are a good example of that. It started with lists of words, but branched into silhouettes, etc. I liked the style of searching for words, and I'm using Samantha Swift these days to teach my kids.

With time the genre changed to become more adventure-game-like, finding objects and using them, and solving riddles. That was originally a distinct sub-genre (with some variations of it), but it quickly became the dominant sub-genre of hidden object games. I'd guess that all modern HOGs are of this style.

While I enjoy HOGs, I feel that the limited gameplay makes them too boring in large doses. A lot of puzzle types and story styles repeat between games.

shameless self bump