Research on creativity and competition points to this. Essentially, creativity occurs when there is some expectancy of increasing competitiveness. However when the expectancy of value capture from your effort becomes less clear, or diminished, creativity stops altogether.

(as pointed out in the "Freakonomics" episode highlighting this reaserch)

https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/102/3/583/96779...

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/can-a-i-take-a-joke/