I started playing because I've always had a keen interest in military warfare....one of my favourite eras being WWII naval warfare and in particular submarines.
A probable motivation was the fact my father served in the British merchant marine, and in particular, the Arctic and Atlantic.
When I'm 'immersed' in the gameplay it helps detoxify my mind of what are often potentially disturbing memories regarding certain elements of my profession (law enforcement).
I usually play alone, but since my involvement with The Grey Wolves commenced, it is not uncommon to play online with my colleagues as one of the means to ironing out gameplay anomalies.
Hope this is of some use.