My partner keeps calling our video game sessions together 'just escapism' while I think they're genuine play, and this has become about more than gaming - it's about whether play has to be productive or educational or if it can just be pure fun. We're basically arguing about the purpose of play without admitting that's what we're doing.
More people experience this than they realize.
You're wrestling with whether play needs justification or purpose, or if purposelessness is precisely what makes it play.
“Where Are You with What is play — a philosophical definition?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.