I think that Silksong's existence shows pretty conclusively that the idea that people need to struggle against not having their basic needs met in order to be sufficiently 'motivated' to contribute to society is bullshit.

Hollow Knight gave the members of Team Cherry generational-wealth levels of resources. They had no need to release another game in order to keep food on the table - they did so because they chose to, and they took their time around doing it, and by and large people are extraordinarily happy with the results.

The whole concept that people "need" to be threatened with starvation and homelessness to "keep them motivated" - something I've seen seriously argued many times in the past - is a traumatic narrative that the actual evidence (look at every single study on unconditional basic income!) counters.