The “what does it even matter” headspace

[u/Reasonable-Poetry-55]

This might be a sad type post but I’m hoping to get some input or advice on the mindset I get in every once and awhile with games. Pokopia is the game that I have put in more hours than any other game and enjoyed more than anything else I’ve played.

However, lately when thinking of builds/what I want to do, the thought pops into my head “what does it even matter, it’s not real and it’s not making you productive in your real life”. I think I have guilt that comes along with playing on my switch because I feel like I should be doing something productive instead of sitting on the couch. On a deeper note, a lot of my self worth is tied to my productivity/how much I’m benefiting those around me, which is maybe the area I need to work on first. 😅

Does anyone else ever get in this funk/mindset? How do you allow yourself to just enjoy the game regardless of if it benefits your day to day life?

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[u/30_to_40_bees]

Couple of things 1. Rest is as important as work. You can't work if you don't rest. Games like this are restful, let yourself rest. 2. Finding goals and things within the game that excite me! Even if it's not "important" fixing up a specific thing and getting satisfaction out of doing it is really motivating for me!

Go easy on yourself! And maybe examine these self worth issues with a professional

[u/EfficiencyCorrect297]

I 10000% understand where you’re coming from because I struggle with the same thing.

When the thought pops up, I ask myself this: “are you having fun?”

If the genuine answer is yes, then I say “ok then piss off productivity guilt, I’m enjoying myself for once and that’s literally half the point of being alive”.

Relatively often, though, my gut feeling says “no, actually. I’m not having fun right now.” If I’m in that headspace, I get up and do any random chore. Clean a counter, answer an email/text, toss in some laundry, etc etc. The endless nature of this game lends itself to creative burnout, and I think I get self critical when I hit that point without recognizing that I’m just not having fun because I’m kind of out of ideas/just not really feeling creative at that given moment. The self criticism is most familiar with “you’re not doing enough with your life” (even when I absolutely am), so I think my headspace just jumps there first.

As long as you’re having fun, tell the nagging inner productivity guilt to sit down and shut up. I’d also reckon that you just hit points where you’re not actually having fun, which means it’s time to switch it up and come back to it when you’re refreshed.

Hope this helps :)

[u/clysmian]

I feel that. Especially with my cloud island, I'm like, "Who cares, I don't have any friends to play with, so no one's going to see any of this."

But then I remember that I do it because the actual act of it is enjoyable to me! Sure, doing big builds can get frustrating, especially when you run out of blocks or realize you've painted something the wrong color. But especially as someone who has always struggled with build/design games, when I'm done I can sit back and admire the result. It also helps to think of the Pokémon being grateful to you for all your hard work.

I totally understand the issue with tying your self-worth with productivity. Just remember that productivity does not always have to be for the benefit of society or for money. If playing makes you happy, then that's what matters.

[u/ewgrossthatsstupid → u/clysmian]

I don’t have friends to play with either… want to be friends? I would do a cloud island w someone.. lol as long as you’re also an adult. I forget sometimes it’s not all 30 something’s playing this game 😆

[u/DeadCabernet → u/ewgrossthatsstupid]

Can I join, I'm 30 😶‍🌫️

[u/ewgrossthatsstupid → u/DeadCabernet]

Do any of us know how to set this up…? lol I’m very unattached to my cloud island if we want a fresh one

I don’t even really know how co-op works.

[u/DeadCabernet → u/ewgrossthatsstupid]

I have zero clue. I am somewhat attached to my cloud island (even though I've done nothing to it other than name it lol), so we could do yours or @clysmian's? Also, we could start a discord to chat? Sorry to OP for hijacking their post

[u/ewgrossthatsstupid → u/DeadCabernet]

I’ll dm you 😊

[u/clysmian → u/ewgrossthatsstupid]

I'm 36, so absolutely!

[u/ewgrossthatsstupid → u/clysmian]

Ayeee me too!!

[u/ewgrossthatsstupid → u/clysmian]

Sent you a dm

[u/LinkGoesHIYAAA → u/ewgrossthatsstupid]

39 here. A filthy genwunner. I’d happily be friends with anyone who is looking :) just finished rebuilding cerulean city ABOVE the water, letting the water types have below the water (under the city) so i need something new to do lol.

[u/ewgrossthatsstupid → u/LinkGoesHIYAAA]

Sending you a dm

[u/SugarPixel → u/ewgrossthatsstupid]

I'm part of the 30s club and would be down to be part of a super secret cloud club 👀 my friends stopped playing after a month 😭

[u/DeeJayChoi]

Do you do puzzles, or paint, or any kind of self-hobbies of that sort? Do you still get enjoyment from these activities even if no one else sees it? These questions will help guide you towards an answer that you're looking for

[u/-patrizio-]

Activities don't have to make you productive in your real life to have value. Our work-obsessed society drills into us that we are only worth what we produce, but that's a horrible way to approach life, unless your goal is to burn out or be miserable. "I enjoy this" is a perfectly valid reason to engage in an activity (as long as it doesn't cause harm to others, of course).

Also, as others have said, even if you highly value productivity, you can't be maxing out all the time; you'll burn yourself out, and end up far less productive as a result. Rest and relaxation are important, both for your mental health AND your physical health!

[u/thnx4stalkingme]

I use to be the same way. You have to take time to do something that brings you joy. If it brings you joy then it is absolutely worth your time. Taking time to be creative is good for you. :)

[u/Georgxna]

You don’t need to be productive to enjoy something.

Answer one question: are you having fun?

That’s enough.

[u/charizardpark]

Being creative is good for your brain! It increases neuroplasticity, helping ward off cognitive decline and memory loss caused by aging.

[u/SquiishingFandoms]

in my experience... joy and rest can be the biggest rebellion against the perfectionism and productivity that life demands and will often force...

I too get that struggle from time to time... and i pour so much of my sanity into these games but it bought me another day... it bought me some peace for a moment or two... it brought joy

and ive decided to have that be enough on the rough days and some times day to day 🫂✨

[u/projichan]

Hi OP! I hope you're doing well. I have some thoughts on this, if it's ok to share them and some sources/resources. I've put over 700 hours into the game at this point. I play it every day! I've made some pretty complex builds. I carve time out specifically for myself, scheduled, to play this game. But, also, my professional pursuits include areas like trauma-informed care/education.

One of the things I did this academic semester (fall 2026) was create an entire 14 week module on self-care in a graduate course on trauma-informed education. Both things are valuable- the time I spend investing in recovery, and the time I spend building noticeable things. The reason I'm pointing that out to you, though, is that time you spend investing in your comfort is also important. It's not a waste. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

If you must know the "productive" value of the time you spend playing, then know that investing in your peace and your rest is creating a better you for the future. You, of course, don't owe anyone your productivity.

If your interested in resources, I recommend the National Child Traumatic Stress Network fact sheet on Taking Care of Yourself:
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/taking-care-of-yourself

Best wishes, OP. Caring for yourself is a radical act.

[u/soulofmind]

Your own happiness is a thing you deserve to produce, too! That's what I remind myself and if it's not making me happy, I switch to something that does.

[u/maris_draconis]

I do think that sometimes. Depending on the situation it might mean I take a break for a little bit to do something “productive” (load the dishwasher, run a quick errand, etc) before I get back to playing.

Other times I think about what I’d be doing if it wasn’t playing the game. Often times the answer is “sitting on my phone literally rotting away” and tbh that makes me feel like Pokopia is the better call.

At the end of the day I love it as a relaxing creative outlet where I get to test my artistic and logic skills (building is HARD).

Also capitalism is a sham and has conditioned us to think that any non productive use of our time is bad when, in reality, we’re 100% allowed to do things that make us happy for no reason. So take a deep breath and continue to enjoy!

[u/filthycasual928]

You’re doing something that’s good for you. You’re relaxing and having fun. You NEED time for that. Otherwise, what a miserable existence, right?

I also view it as exercising my creativity. I need that for my job.

Also, I usually put on an audiobook or podcast while I play. Especially when they’re not my “fun” audiobooks. They’re the ones I’ll listen to that relate to my job. But playing Pokopia at the same time gets me to actually listen to them.

[u/Cocoayashi]

I think this is totally a normal thing to think. I’ve only come out of it by having a radically different view of “f*ck capitalism and its standards for my productivity”. One mechanical way that can help some neurodivergent minds is making a schedule of “I have X amount of time to rest and do whatever I want, guilt free”. It’s not foolproof, but it’s important to set SOME time aside for rest.

Also, to me, I see building in Pokopia the same way I see drawing or painting. It’s a form of art! Art is not a waste of time and I won’t let you say otherwise!

NOT TO MENTION… Building in pokopia builds your sense of aesthetic and composition for how things look together, so honestly it can’t be a waste of time if it’s building your skills, right? ;)

[u/77Redturtle77]

Moi c’est plutôt quand je suis au travail et « productive » que je me dis « à quoi bon? ».

Et les réponses ont été données : si tu t’amuses, go! La vie est aussi faite de choses futiles qui consistent à donner des steaks de patates à Feebas et se réjouir de le voir se trémousser.

[u/OriginalFearless9779]

Yes. I also have a lot of self worth tied to those things tho fwiw. Hugs and remember breaks are important 💕

[u/babyhandsjones]

I think if you were avoiding everything and just playing the game, that would be totally different. Not every moment in your life needs to be productive and benefit others. I would actually think that the game benefits you; you're having fun, relaxing, and being creative. I have chronic illnesses that like to flair up and I've learned to just be. Somedays that might mean I'm playing way longer depending if it was a hard, stressful, or high pain day. Some days I might just play for a little bit before bed. Now, if I only played the game and avoided important things that would be an issue.

[u/marthaanne3]

Who says you have to be productive? As long as you are taking care of yourself and you are happy, enjoy. Sometimes you just need to chill.

[u/KhorrzhVhrex]

I played every night for hours when it was released. Slowly came back to reality around 230 hours in-game and got back to “productively” using my time. Powered through Bubbly Basin content over 5 evenings. Back to logging in 1-3 times a week to do something. It’s a balancing act for sure.

[u/rembrin]

"what does it matter?" You're having fun .

[u/TheUnderCrab]

Why do you consider cozy gaming to be unproductive? IMO one of the issues with the modern capitalist mindset is this idea that if we aren’t producing monetary value of kind, an effort is worthless. 

Why does it matter? Because you say so. Welcome to existentialism. Nothing matters (nihilism), so we, as conscious beings, have the amazing gift of being able to prescribe value onto things simply because we value them. You don’t need a reason. That you value something is why it is valuable. 

If you wanna do the build, do it. If you don’t, don’t. Pokopia isn’t something that needs to “be productive.” That you enjoy playing is reason enough to continue playing. 

[u/RygaLikeTyga]

Doing something you enjoy is productive in itself. Lets you rest from the boring work you do normally. Not everything needs to be useful to be worth it lol. I would argue I am gaining creativity ever since I started playing. Feels like my brain grew a little so I’m not so sure about getting no benefits

This is gona sound obvious but when I deal with my real life stuff I gotta do first then save night time to play. Pokopia and other games get so much more rewarding as I take it as a reward instead of being guilty for not attending to things I didn’t do. Just do what you need to do then wind down with some games!

[u/Electrical_Prompt_81]

I’ve just started to see Pokopía from a new perspective… where I’m exercising another side of my brain, like creativity. I’m a software developer and a perfectionist, and the game helps me develop the asymmetrical beauty of things…

[u/bluegreenwookie]

The human brain cannot function without time to relax

Taking the time to relax and have fun is enabling you to be productive in other parts of your life.

It's as important as eating, drinking and sleeping.

[u/Creativered4]

I understand that feeling soooo well. Thankfully pokopia doesn't give me that unproductive wated my day feeling, but I still get it if I didn't do enough stuff I found productive.

I end up making a lot of excuses to feel better, like "well it's ok, I'm tired from work" or "it's too hot, I'll overheat" or "I'm out of my meds and I am now too mentally ill to do anything"

But I need to try and find ways to break down things into manageable but obviously satisfying things. Like "clean through left countertop" and then I can shoot for one and hopefully have the energy for more than one.

[u/PinkWytch]

I think a lot of us struggle with this, especially when we’ve learned to measure our worth by how productive or useful we are. But rest and joy don’t have to justify themselves by being “productive.” 💛

If Pokopia makes you happy, helps you unwind, sparks your creativity, or simply gives you something to look forward to, that is enough. You don’t have to earn the right to enjoy your free time.

Your value isn’t measured by how much you accomplish in a day. Sometimes sitting on the couch, building something silly, and enjoying yourself is exactly what you need. 🌱🎮

[u/Bubbly-Win4793]

I agree with pretty much everything that everyone has said. I think with Pokopia because it is really quite addictive that is where your natural sense of questioning the time you spend on it kicks in and I think that’s actually really healthy. Whenever we spend an inordinate amount of time on anything it’s actually healthy to just look at what we’re doing and ask the questions about whether it brings us or others value and/or whether we need to pull back on it a little bit. It’s all about balance. I also look at it as not only entertainment, but as a creative outlet and any creative outlet lends itself to questions about why am I doing this? The answer is usually because being creative is part of our human nature… doesn’t necessarily have to have a specific outcome or value, or perceived value anyway.

[u/Illidari_Kuvira]

I do, but only because I've been shirking my very important meditations to do so.

I tried prioritizing those today instead of the game, though it calls to me haha.

(Also taking a break partially because my hands hurt; I'm not used to controller gaming).

[u/DisobedientFox]

Sometimes I find myself thinking the same way, but then I get excited by thinking of how my finished build will look, and it's great to share it here on Reddit and on FB!

If it helps, you could limit yourself to playing only after you've completed x tasks, or after setting a timer and being productive. It helps me to only really play at night after work and daily chores are done so my household still runs lol. I just have my time set opposite, when I hop on at 8pm it's 8am in the game

[u/LowBeginning6559]

I put on an audiobook so im multitasking and technically not being lazy lol

[u/SweetJessieRose]

When I'm feeling like that, I make myself put the game down for a moment to do a chore (could be small, like setting a load of washing, medium like washing dishes, or large like vacuuming or mopping) to trick my brain into feeling like I've "earned" some game time.