The game that comes to mind from No Man’s Sky was initially Spore. Both are vast expansion games doomed to disappoint their fans by not salving all the wounds of their life. But each is (apparently) endless. Kafka once said “the point of life is that it stops,” so what to make of a game that functionally offers immortality — what’s the point if there’s no timer or opponent to beat?

I’m reminded of Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged, a side character from the famed Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy series. Having become immortal by accident, Wowbagger gave his life meaning by assigning himself an inherently impossible task — insulting every living thing in the Universe in alphabetical order.

This is essentially what No Man’s Sky offers its players.