I'd say the difference is that all work is a commitment. Even free work. Just because you can break the contract any time you like, it doesn't make you free from the restrictions of it.

Hobbies are play, but play is a simulation of some other thing. If you're crafting something but not selling the crafts, you'll hit a point where you question your ability with it.

Tournaments are a nice hack around that, and usually what the financially independent have historically done. You compete for a prize. The prize closes the hobby loop.

But once you start doing tournaments, that draws you back into commitments.