I was talking to mom on my last visit to her. She made the comment while talking to me.

"Are you playing games on your phone?"

I realized she wanted my full attention. Unfortunately when I go to visit her, I have little time to blog on Steemit unless I escape to the public library. She realizes that I do blog on this site and I have countless times explained that I get paid in crypto currency. She is one that does not believe you are paid until it is in your hand. She has a point.

Source

However back to the game comment. It bothers me to hear this as I do not play computer games and I certainly do not think of Steemit as a game...or is it?

For many of us Steemit is addictive. You write a post or place comment and wait with anticipation for the resulting comment, payout or adjustment in reputation score. You never know the outcome. How will that individual respond to the wording of my post? Will they like it or hate it? Will it be upvoted 3%, 5%, 20% or the full 100%?

And so we punch the keys and press 'Post' leaving to the hands of other Steemians to determine the outcome. In a way it is like playing the slot machines at the casino. There is a certain excitement and addiction to it. Perhaps the rewards that may be are more psychological than financial. I can see the benefits in self esteem building and reputation as incentivess

Yes mom may be on to something. Perhaps this is a game. There certainly are elements of it at a closer glance. But I would like to think that building relationships with other Steemians allow it to be more real and meaningful. Giving back to the community here and supporting worthy causes should count for something.

What do you think?

Is steemit a game for you or others?
What motivates you to continue with being an active Steemian?
How real is the Steemit community to you?

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment, upvote or resteem. - Troy