The Infinite Game
Here’s a lens that I want you to try on, ready?
Everything you do in life should be considered as a game. The question that you have to consider in everything you are doing is: Am I playing because I want to win? Or, because I want to continue.
I feel like the best games are never ending.
I had this thought when I woke up one morning and realised that the game I was playing couldn’t actually be won. That game of course being entrepreneurship. There’s no finish line associated with it, in fact the aim of entrepreneurship is to stay playing as long as possible.
Finite vs. Infinite
“But all limits eventually fade” — Joey Badass
A finite game has known players, fixed rules and agreed upon objective, where there must be a winner and a loser. Sports are the ultimate finite game because one team must win and the other lose. The Premier League cannot end in a tie, neither than the Champions League, World Cup or otherwise — there can only be one winer. Politics is another example of there can only be one person who can win the election. When you step on the field, you run for office, or even play a board game with your family, you accept that someone will win and someone will lose. The ultimate example of a finite game is from Israel Adesanya, UFC fighter. Before the fifth round of his legendary fight with Kelvin Gastelum, Adesanya whispered to himself, “I am prepared to die.” Probably as finite as a conclusion can be.
An Infinite Game has known and unknown players, the rules can change any time and the objective is to stay in the game as long as possible. In this game there is no finish line, no winner or loser, the purpose of the game is to continue playing not to defeat your opponent because there is no opponent. You have participants who are involved in a shared journey or experience. You want everyone to continue playing the infinite game because the goal is to keep the game going. A simple example of this is relationships —have you ever heard a friend say “I’m winning my marriage,” probably not right, and if they have, I have a strong feeling they’re now either single or will soon be.
To tie this all up into a simple analogy, by looking at the reality of schooling versus education. School gives us a means to an end, there are pre set boundaries and you play in a circle of power based on the subject you have chosen. The grades you achieve lead to accolades, and graduating from university prepares you for a job. Education, is completely different. It’s broader, playful, and takes the form of whatever you might wish. You learn what you find interesting and you disregard what you don’t. As you learn you have the opportunity to find new frontiers, recombine ideas for new inventions. When schooling, all the answers to problems are in the past, they’re based on tests but education balances the past and what’s left to be uncovered in the present and future — because of its transposable nature, where school makes you powerful, education makes you strong. Eventually you graduate from school, but you can never do so from education.
Playing for Forever
“My exit strategy is death” — Paul Orfalea, Kinko’s Founder
Simon Sinek, author and speaker, expanded upon James Carse’s It dives Finite and Infinite Games, particularly in how game theory pertains to business after an interesting experience.
After speaking at both Microsoft and Apple’s leadership conferences, he remarked that Microsoft spent 70% of their conference speaking about how to beat Apple and Apple 100% spent of time how to help teachers teach and students to learn. One obsessed with competition, the other with their own direction. At the end of conference, Microsoft gifted Simon the new Zoon, which was to be the competitor product to iPod touch. When sat with a senior Apple Executive, Simon chose to stir the pot and said “…You know, spoke at Microsoft summit and your ipod touch is better.” The Apple Executive turned and said “I have no doubt.” End of conversation. Simon found the answer telling because Apple’s wide-spread ethos stemmed from the question — how do we improve ourselves? This Executive gave Simon a strong sense their in the game, there is no first and last, only ahead and behind.
The thing is we don’t get to choose whether games are finite or infinite. We do get to choose whether or not we want to join a game. To avoid frustration, it’s important to understand what mode we are in. Each game requires different things. We can choose whether we want to play with a finite or an infinite mindset.
If you are at least concerned with riches or wealth, then play infinitely where possible. Collaboration is positive sum, we all make each other rich — whereas competition leaves one rich and the rest dangling behind. Despite our world’s constant bombardment of short term-ism, through quarterly reporting and get rich quick schemes — think and operate stretch your time horizons. Whoever chooses to compete can also choose to collaborate.
As Dan Koe put it:
“Play infinite games. Entrepreneurship over employment. Relationships over flings. Self-education over formal education. Play the few games you can see yourself playing for the rest of your life and beyond. Or, you can stay on the surface and wonder why life seems so miserable.”
Where are you finite where you could be infinite?
