> Sports and Video Games seemed so fake and trivial.

Agreed.

My inner armchair psychologist wants to ask, “what is fundamentally different between the treadmill and a hobby?” For me, I think it’s doing something that matters for the world. Hobbies on their own tend to be self-enriching (which is essential) while the notion of a treadmill is that you are accomplishing something greater than just yourself. If true, what we are all missing may be a sense of agency to effect meaningful change.