Play is easy in abundance.

In scarcity you naturally get less play.

When things are positive sum (growing), you don't need to compete directly.

When things are zero sum (not growing), then you need to compete ruthlessly to get an edge.

Growth makes it easier to have an infinite mindset.

This is one of the reasons the tech industry historically cared less about titles.

Everything was growing, so why sweat it?

More mature contexts, like on the east coast, or academia, are way more focused on titles.