Curiosity versus consumption

I've been thinking about curiosity versus consumption.

We're just coming back from Thanksgiving break.

It was a lovely time. We spent time with family, time with friends, and a lot of time relaxing on the couch.

It's been one of the more extended breaks in recent memory where I've completely disconnected from work and didn't have some big planned trip with the family.

Over the last few days a curious thing started to happen. I had afternoons and late evenings to tinker and play with things, and I tended toward trying out some new games. I intentionally didn't want to do anything productive, anything that would maximize product ideas—the whole point was to disconnect and relax.

So I did what anyone does. I bought a retro gaming console (after researching a bunch of different types), played some games on it, and played a new game on Steam.

And a funny thing happened. It wasn't as fun as I expected.

I found myself, after a few days, looking for ways to maximize the entertainment value of the games I wanted to consume. I kept looking for that perfect interaction with all the right characteristics of being calm and relaxing as well as challenging and playable.

About a million games fit that qualification, but I just wasn't feeling any of them. So I kept looking, kept tinkering, kept trying, and as one does, began to write out a list of games that I intended to play (instead of actually just picking one to play).

Much of my time went to researching consoles, researching games (both old and new), and diving into Reddit threads on the top games of various eras.¹

As I got to the end of things on Sunday, I realized something.

First, I like playing games. It's a lot of fun, and I've spent many enjoyable moments throughout my life on single player or multiplayer adventures in the digital world. I don't see ever giving that up completely.

But, there's diminishing returns to how much enjoyment you can get from pursuing something for entertainment value, for the consumption of a thing, hoping to eke out enjoyment and delight.

I still remember the first time I played Age of Empires. It was the demo that pulled me in. You move two priests around the map, converting units from red to blue. It was the most barebones, constrained version of the game, but in those constraints I had so much fun.

The nostalgia of that moment is something I've tried to recapture for decades in that particular series (and somewhat successfully at times).

It's a false premise, though. You can't find infinite entertainment value in anything. At some point it wears thin. And that's a good thing. The alternative is to dive into online multiplayer games that have no end—and that's an area I'm just not interested in pursuing.

And so, I've had a bit of a mental breakthrough here.

First, yes I will keep playing games. Nothing in particular about that will change. But I was reminded of why I paused the whole genre entirely for a few years in my teens—namely that the pursuit of hobbies and interests (and getting good at them) lends far greater rewards than chasing the highs of entertainment.

Take building a new product. It's like a video game, but in real life. There's areas of skill to upgrade, challenges you face in the marketplace, feedback from users, decisions you have to make on how to ship—the story here is endless. And, mix in autonomy of choice over the decisions you're making, and financial reward for the work you've put in—and well it's a lot more fun than any game I've ever found.²

Pursuing your curiosity, to learn and use that to help others, has its own rewards. The brain benefits from the challenge, and finds true delights in the wins.

Gaming has a component of that, but misses out on the enduring value of learning for a purpose.

All that said, tonight I'll probably try out a new game to see if it's as good as I hope—or I might tinker on a new app idea for long term rewards.

1. I discovered a whole sub-genre of games that are intended to run on original hardware (such as the NES and SNES), but are made today with all the modern quality of life improvements of 8-bit or 32-bit games made today.
2. On the opposite end, working without these elements can turn into the most dull thing ever imagined. Having to put your nose to the grind for money and nothing else, for decades on end—well it's not a fun way to live.