Dwarf Fortress

Normal person: I must win.
Stoic: Winning isn't important.
Dwarf Fortress fan:  Losing is fun!

The recent story in the New York Times about a game called Dwarf Fortress strikes some Stoic chords.  The authors of the game aren't particularly concerned with becoming famous.  They just want to create an interesting game, even if it takes 20 years to finish.  The fans of the game aren't concerned with winning.  They just like creating a world, managing it, and then watching as it all inevitably goes horribly wrong.  It's a different approach to gaming.

I still don't think it's a great idea to spend much time playing games, but reading about this game seems refreshing.  I hope the ideas here catch on.