We haven't had one of these in a while...
A video game presents you with a problem and proides you with a skill set that makes the objective obtainable. If you're a plumber who is constantly in danger of being murdered by these squat little bipedal monsters who go squish when jumped upon, you begin the game with the ability to jump and squish things. If this is the only problem you have in your video game life, this is the only skill you get. You are given the ability to accomplish the tasks given to you and little else. This is called play balancing. Life doesn't have this.
Is it bad that I find this somehow profound and deep?