Nicholas Von Orton receives many benefits from his participation in the CRS" game. It helps him overcome his fears of big groups, dangerous tasks, difficult tasks, mortality, and it makes him a more sensitive and caring person. The game puts Nicholas in situations where he must confront his fears and either overcome them or just quit, and he succeeds in overcoming them throughout the movie. .
Leisure as activity can be seen in Nicholas" experience in the game especially when he begins to do things for their own sake. The game tricks Nicholas into thinking that he is really being pursued by murderers, or that he has really lost his job and all his money. The game plans all of these activities that are actually for his own enjoyment and benefit in the end. Although it is not obvious to Nicholas during his experience in the game, these activities are all a form of leisure in a way.
Nicholas" work and participation in the game are not kept completely separate. They are actually very involved with each other and overlap. It would appear that his work is impacted more by the game, than by the game being impacted by his work. One would think this because it appears to the viewer and Nicholas that the game strips him of his job and finances. After finishing the movie though, one would realize that it was actually just a ploy, to get him to believe he had actually lost these things. Since most people distinguish between work time and free time, it is easy to see that the game had a little combination of both Nicholas free time and work time. The work time that the game overlapped in however had no really meaning or consequence to the actual work, so it is hard to say if it was actually work or not. It is possible to see though the overlapping of free time and work time in the movie which would show that his work and participation in the game are not separate. .
Previous family experiences shape Nicholas" responses and actions to the problems and activities he is faced with in the game.