We don't need to resort to tortured video game analogies to talk about this. What the piece is talking about is the difference between being physically drained

We don't need to resort to tortured video game analogies to talk about this. What the piece is talking about is the difference between being physically drained and being spiritually drained. People can tolerate a lot of exertion as long as it has a purpose. This isn't unique to work. Ask any parent, any soldier, what have you. As long as there's some meaning to what you're doing you can tolerate a lot. But if you're stuck in something that is soul sucking and has no purpose, that'll really eat away at people. This medicalized language of burnout really just hides the fact that what quite a few people are dealing with is that they're stuck in dead-end, pointless jobs. As the saying goes we've taken some of the smartest people and have them figure out how to get other people to click on ads. I suppose it's easier to blame it on individuals than talk about the meaning of work in general.