Producers and consumers

Some people see tech as stuff to consume. You buy an iPad to watch streams on Twitch. You pay for a Netflix subscription so you can stream and waste away precious hours of your life.

Tech is really about empowering people to produce things. Make a GIF in Photoshop or GIMP. Make a website. Make a program that does something cool. Make an Arduino project that makes lights light up in a cool pattern. Make a robot move. Make a Raspberry Pi with a temperature sensor log the temperature in your greenhouse. It doesn't really matter.

But don't be a mindless consumer. Maybe everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, but you need to produce something.

There are some people whose entire life and identity is just going to work, putting in minimal effort, and then consuming for the rest of their time. These people are often miserable, but do nothing to change their situation. Be a producer. Make software. Make pottery. Make books. Make something. Rise above our social conditioning to become useless, pacified consumers whose only purpose in society is to increase numbers for capitalists. We are more than that. Self-actualization requires creating things.

Lets examine some creative ideas.
1.chess engines:
It would take a few years for a high-rating chess engine, and the reward would be..a number in a rating list. Also, you could cheat with it online but people have 8-core Xeons with latest Stockfish builds so they win anyway. The eventual reward is zero.

2.Multiplayer RPG:
A small-scale RPG is possible with 2-4 years of development. It would produce marginal interest since its not polished and graphically intensive as big-budget offers. About 40-200 people will play regularly and will demand you to maintain it forever. What is the reward here? Watching people explore your game and complain about tiniest flaws in a forum?

3.A programmable robot that collects trash:
It would be much cheaper to hire someone or do it yourself. It would look cool for a few minutes to see a robot trying to pickup trash, though.

4."Make a Raspberry Pi with a temperature sensor log the temperature in your greenhouse".
Whats the point? its either warm enough or the greenhouse is broken.

5."Make a website": A free website is fine, but why you would make a website and pay for a domain? for storing information free wikis are superior, discussion can be held on free forum hosting, chat on discord and code on git repos.