Finite and Infinite Games

There are finite games, which are played to win. And then there are infinite games, which are played to continue playing. As it turns out, life can be thought of as a game — but what are the rules and how is it played? Carse paints a picture of Finite players and Infinite players. We're all wearing masks and playing roles, and Finite players forget that they are not their mask. They play zero sum games to win.

This is the sort of book that felt interesting as I read it, and then started changing how I saw the world for months after. So I read it again, and it continued to be alive. This is a nearly poetic book. Some nonfiction readers may find this off-putting or incoherent — try to push through. Consider this closer to Proverbs than a normal self-help book.