"And playing Go isn’t exactly a real job. There’s something perverse about treating games as work. Work, even when it is deeply rewarding, pleasurable, and meaningful, is something we do in order to accomplish something."<p>The top chess players in the world are spending a lot of mental energy during a game and prepare a lot between tournaments. It is what they do for a living. So it is a "real job" to them, even if the hours and pay are irregular. What they produce is entertainment for fans, and the attention of fans benefits sponsors. I assume Go is similar. In general, in an advanced economy, a lot of jobs are in the entertainment industry.