Having been an avid collector for close to 30 years, I can tell ya there's really nothing like ripping packs - even if you don't hit on anything big. It's nostalgia for sure from when I was a kid and wanting to get as many of my favorite players as I could, back when cards were dirt cheap and every card set from Score to ProSet, O-Pee-Chee, Topps, Panini (though they were more into sticker books back then), and Upper Deck could be filled easily with minimal money spent.
I remember the first year UD made cards for McDonalds and the first holographic cards with Wayne Gretzky. The first real insert subset from Upper Deck (Brett Hull - including on card signed autograph super rare cards) and the Eric Lindros subset you could only get from Score by buying a set straight from the factory.
Good times.