The Games I Play • Peter Bennett
On careful examination, many of the programs we call video games today much more nearly resemble something like work, embodying what literary theorists and philosophers recognize as a means of enacting a Nietzschean lust for power… – David Golumbia, "Games Without Play" I’ve played video games for almost my entire life. I’ve done so on my phone, iPad, computer, and PS4; with family, friends, and strangers online; based on sports, shooting, engineering, racing, and politics; on timescales from thirty seconds to thirty days. These video games are among the few things that my brain considers true free time. At Stanford, I often feel like I never have free time because my life outside of class and homework is filled with side projects, social events, and adventures. These are exactly the things I enjoy most—I wouldn’t give them up, and I don’t particularly want to. But on the rare weekends I spend at home, I find myself needing half an hour of Trackmania or Cities: Skylines to calm down af
The Games I Play • Chasing Sunsets ← The Games I Play Published: August 27, 2025 Peter Bennett, Gamer On careful examination, many of the programs we call video games today much more nearly resemble something like work, embodying what literary theorists and philosophers recognize as a means of enacting a Nietzschean lust for power… – David Golumbia, "Games Without Play" I’ve played video games for almost my entire life. I’ve done so on my phone, iPad, computer, and PS4; with family, friends, and strangers online; based on sports, shooting, engineering, racing, and politics; on timescales from
related reading
- callingsmindmud.substack.com
- Where are the builders? | near.blognear.blog
- All Work and No Play - Dissent Magazinedissentmagazine.org
- 🌻 tryhardjasmi.news
- Play to Win: A Post-Work Societyjzhao.xyz
- 🌻 tryhardjasmi.news
- Why Can’t I Enjoy Anything Anymoresubstack.com
- Why Nothing Ever Happens • Chasing Sunsetschasingsunsets.dev
- The Gamification of Games — Real Lifereallifemag.com
- Indirect pursuits | Infinite Ascentblog.cjquines.com
- Why Everything is Becoming a Gamegurwinder.blog
- Is Success the Enemy of Freedom? (Full) — LessWronglesswrong.com