Finite and Infinite Games #1

"THERE ARE at least two kinds of games. One could be called

finite, the other infinite.

A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an

infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play."

The events of life can be perceived as games we play—much like how a child sees the world. Everything becomes play, and the rules we choose to follow make each event feel like a game.

While a child remains in that playful mode naturally, as adults, we sometimes forget this perspective. However, if we begin to view life this way, we may notice that events can be divided into two types of games:

Finite Games

These are games we play with the intention of winning. For example, we take up jobs to get promoted or aim to earn the label of a millionaire. These games have a clear, fixed end—and we strive to reach that end.

Infinite Games

As the name suggests, these games are not meant to end—and they don’t have to. They are played for the sake of continuing the play itself. Every encounter in such a game is a step toward the next, and then the next, and so on.

Take friendships, for instance. True friendships are not pursued to reach a specific goal—such as borrowing money or asking for a favor. While such requests might happen along the way, the deeper purpose of each interaction is to extend the friendship further, pushing it toward something timeless. We simply want to spend more time with our friend, in one way or another. We never want that experience to end.

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