I still think you missed the question. Game Theory, Seven Bridges of Königsberg, etc. were not raised by the game players, but mathematicians. And the origina

I still think you missed the question. Game Theory, Seven Bridges of Königsberg, etc. were not raised by the game players, but mathematicians. And the original question is not arguing against the "usefulness" of these games themselves either; it's about the practice/endeavor of merely playing these games. >DeepBlue and AlphaGo and Watson /are/ playing the game DeepBlue and AlphaGo are playing the games. But they don't "think" or, in the OP's words, "waste their mental energy", since they are not even human beings. The designers of these AIs are not playing the games, though. That's what the question is about. >Also, playing, understanding, and thinking about these games To me, thinking about these games' mechanisms and/or how to optimizing them is totally different from the mental energy used in playing it. Again, I'm not disagreeing or agreeing with this sentiment (actually I strongly disagree), just trying to explain what the OG questions is in my understanding.