> you gotta show up for the game (the startup game, I mean) to win it...

This type of thinking is why the valley is so full of zombie companies pumped up with capital, but with no real traction or any way of ever being profitable

PG and many speakers at startup school repeatedly said that its easy to spot the ones who are just doing it because they want to be "that guy" like Zuckerberg - the ones who want to play the game. Instead of starting a company to figure out what customers want.

What motivates you to start a company is really important. Especially during the downswings that kills most startups (google "trough of sorrows").