We respect all of our competitors, and when I talk about our

Hear the words of Reggie Fils-Aime, once a leader in the realm of games and joy, who proclaimed: “We respect all of our competitors, and when I talk about our competitors, all of our competitors for entertainment time and leisure time.” In this statement lies a wisdom that rises beyond the narrow field of business and commerce. It speaks of the struggle for human attention, for the fleeting hours of leisure that men and women guard like treasure after long days of labor. He teaches us that true competition is not only with those who stand in the same trade, but with all who contend for the mind, the spirit, and the heart.

The meaning of these words is that every art, every craft, and every business competes not just within its own domain, but across the vast landscape of human desire. The makers of games do not only contend with other games; they contend with books, with films, with sports, with the quiet walk under starlight, with the voices of friends, with every path a person may choose in their sacred hours of leisure time. To recognize this is to respect the true breadth of competition and to understand that one must create not just a product, but an experience worthy of the time and soul of another.

The origin of this reflection lies in the struggle of the entertainment industry in the modern age. As president of Nintendo of America, Fils-Aime saw that the battlefield was vast. His rivals were not only Sony or Microsoft, but also the television that flickered in the evening, the novels that captured imaginations, the phones that demanded endless scrolling. By declaring respect for all competitors, he acknowledged the worth of every form of human creativity, and the challenge of earning a place within it.

History offers us echoes of this truth. In ancient Greece, the great theater of Athens was not only in rivalry with other playwrights, but with the poets who sang in the streets, the philosophers who held discourse, the athletes who drew crowds in the stadiums. A citizen’s time for leisure was limited, and each art form had to earn its place in the heart of the people. Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides were not only rivals to each other—they competed against the very breadth of human entertainment. And yet, by honoring their audience’s time with depth and beauty, they secured immortality.

The emotional force of Fils-Aime’s words lies in the note of respect. He does not dismiss his competitors, nor scorn them as lesser, but honors them as fellow laborers in the pursuit of joy. This is no small lesson: respect transforms rivalry from bitterness to greatness. When you acknowledge the worth of your competitor, you sharpen yourself, not with hatred, but with aspiration. The contest becomes not a descent into envy, but a climb toward excellence.

The lesson for us is clear: in our own lives, whatever our work or craft, we must see that we contend not just with those who share our trade, but with every demand upon the time and attention of others. If you are a teacher, you compete not only with other teachers, but with the distractions of the world that pull at your students. If you are a craftsman, you contend not just with rival goods, but with the question of why anyone should choose your creation over another way of spending their hours or coin. To understand this is to rise above complacency and to treat your work as sacred offering.

Therefore, let your actions be shaped by this wisdom. Respect your rivals, whether near or far, whether like you or utterly unlike you. Honor the time of those you serve, for their leisure, their attention, their very moments, are precious and finite. Do not waste them with mediocrity, but give them experiences, words, and works that uplift and endure. In doing so, you honor not only your craft but also the human soul.

And so, remember the teaching of Reggie Fils-Aime: “We respect all of our competitors… for entertainment time and leisure time.” Time is the true treasure, and all who create vie for it. Respect this truth, and your work will rise above rivalry, becoming not just competition, but contribution—a gift that stands worthy in the sacred hours of human life.