The point of this Freakonomics podcast, “The Tale of the $15 Tomato”, is that

…this movement towards doing our own labor, and pickling, and fancy food stuff that you do at home, I think that is really a sign of how spoiled we have all become. Our basic needs are so well taken care of that we need to seek out some sort of hardship to feel whole. Which is a good thing. It’s a great thing. What could be better than having all of your basic needs met?

This got me thinking about difficult games and grinding games; games that are not manifestly fun or easy entertainment; games that feel like labor. Can playing these games impart the same sense of fulfilment that actual hard or physical work does? And if so, how sad is that on a scale of 1 (get over it you, declensionist boob) to 10 (times have never been more alienating and weird!)