Sacrifice for Happiness

In Exodus to the Virtual World Edward Castronova illustrates the difference between a want and a like.

"A 'want' is a craving, a feeling that, if only you could expose yourself to this particular sensation, you would feel pleasure.  A 'like' is just plain happiness, a feeling being experienced that has the pleasure gloss on it." 

Later Castronova explains the delicate balance that must be achieved by game designers in order to make a game desirable to play.  He says that people need to have goals that they will try to achieve.  These goals should be fun to proceed through and finally accomplish.  Happiness is found in doing the task needed to accomplish the goal as well as in the completion of that goal.  If the goal is too easy, or to difficult, to accomplish then the person will not like it and lose interest in doing it. 

To illustrate this Castronova uses many examples, one being that of a player progressing through a game and their wish to, "advance more quickly through the game, but if that wish is granted, the player will not like the result."  Another example is that of a man trying to buy a car with winning that he earns from playing the stock market.  The more money he earns the happier he gets.  However, if the car is given to him (note the word given) from an entity, Castronova uses the government, then he will not be as happy or as satisfied because his goal would have been accomplished but not by his own actions or through him earning it.

I have never really thought about this in detail but now that I have read a little bit of it it makes complete sense.  There was one game that I played for hours and hours, progressing very slowly but enjoying the game the entire time.  Once I learned that cheats were available for it I quickly used them to attain the highest levels and most powerful gear, but after I had done that I only played for a little while longer.  Even though I never actually beat the game the fun was taken out of it because I had already accomplished almost everything without having to do anything for it.  All of the goals were met, yet I got little enjoyment out of it so I began to dislike playing, and so the game ended for me. 

It's interesting to see how you can accomplish something that you want to do but that does not necessarily mean that you will like the outcome, or the feeling that comes with it.  Maybe what makes things worthwhile, and in a sense fun and enjoyable, is the sacrifice that it takes to accomplish it.  In a way, it's almost like by giving up a little part of yourself for something, that thing becomes a little part of you and therefore you enjoy it more.