Having your basic needs met is not a zero sum game, but beyond that the economy is mostly about status. Whether you are working to attract a mate, impress your family, or build your nation, you are seeking status relative to your peers, and that's zero sum.

I'm not convinced. First, there are plenty of things that people are interested in that do not improve their social status neither satisfy their basics needs. Like movies. Secondly, social status is fractal in nature, each subculture considers different things valuable and you can belong to many subcultures at the same time, so it isn't necessarily a zero sum game. You can be a lowly janitor at day, but the lead player of the company of the football team at night.

Movies and other such pleasures are so cheap compared to the big line items in life. I don't think anyone studies to get into college and work a job for 40 years for the sake of watching movies. People do these arduous things mostly, I believe, for the sake of status. If you did not care about status, as many don't, you could rent a small one bedroom apartment in an inexpensive place and work an easy job to make ends meet, and still watch movies or play video games, what have you.

Social status can be fractured, but eventually people come into conflict for people, places, and things. We don't live in independent streams. We fight over the best apartments, the best cars, the best mates, the best stocks, etc. Then status, money, and power come into play.