Finite games, infinite consequences

Do you play games?
I do… but I don’t think everyone should.

I played computer games growing up.
Since I am still playing from time to time, I guess I haven’t grown up yet. 😉
(And of course I play board games as well)

I play mostly strategy games, always have. Games like
Heroes of Might and Magic III, Starcraft and Settlers,
are all a part of my childhood.

Games teach you a lot of valuable skills like
resource management, planning, and execution.

Once I wanted to know how politicians would play these games. Games like Sim City.
I wanted to see how good they could build and design a city.

However entertaining that might be to watch, I no longer think they should play.

I don’t think politicians should play any existing game
(with two possible exceptions, but more on that later).

And there is a good reason for it.

In a strategic game you often start with nothing and then you build up your
empire, expand your territory, recruit an army and conquer your opponents.

That’s the general theme in most games.

First the map is filled with natural resources.

After an hour of playing...
the forests are cut down,
the stone and minerals are gone,
and all the “vespene gas” is depleted.

This is necessary, since these games are all finite games.
They are not designed to be played forever.

They are designed so that someone can win.

And this is why politicians should never play them!

You only ever learn how to win.
You never learn how to keep playing.

In his lovely little book, James P. Carse looks at Finite and Infinite games.
Simon Sinek has also written about it in later years. The idea is simple.

A finite game has a clear set of players, board and rules. An infinite game do not.

Most games and sports are finite games. Football, 1 field, 1 ball, 22 players.
The team with the most goals after 90 minutes win. That is the premise of the game.

An infinite game has no clear ending. The rules are more vague, there are less limits and
there can be more players than you initially see.

The goal of an infinite game is not to win. It is to keep playing.

In politics, I see no infinite players.
I see scared players who want to win.
Not leaders who want to continue to play.

They cheat and change the rules in their favor.
They are not planting trees for future generations.

They want to eliminate the competition. Planning for wars, instead
of nurturing the art of diplomacy, patience and understanding.

The world we are living in is an infinite game.
But politicians seems to regard it as a finite.

If they regard an election period as a finite game...
If they think that all the resources are theirs to extract and exploit...
If they think they’ll win when they are the only one left… then we all lose!

So how do we elect more infinite players?
Well… I don’t think we can.

An infinite player in a finite game will lose.

We need to rethink parts of our democratic systems.
The infinite aspects of our world, needs to be incorporated into our political system.

Because a finite player in an infinite game will always lose.

Nature will always force us to roll another die.
To pick another card, to make another move.
We cannot stop and say, we won.

Then what?

You guessed it… the play goes on.

So how do we play an infinite game? What is the best strategy?

The YouTube channel Veritasium produced a wonderful video, little over a year ago titled:
“This game theory problem will change the way you see the world”

In it they describe a version of an infinite game and they identified 4 winning strategies.

These strategies were:

These could be applied by everyone. Everywhere.

If you already play games, keep playing.
If you aren’t, then start playing.

Here are 2 suggestions if you don’t know where to start.

Terra Nil is a very relaxing computer game, and
Daybreak is a collaborative board game about the world.

Both of these games might be the only games I actually would like our politicians to play.
You might argue, that both these are still finite games.

True. But they are less about winning and more about understanding.

And to be honest. Games, just like life, is less about winning and
more about having a good time.

So if you find a politician that is nice, forgiving, retaliatory and clear…
give them a vote so that we all can have a good time.
(And tell me where you found them.😉 )

Because the world keeps playing, whether we want it or not.

Want to learn more about me,
send med a DM on LinkedIn

Until next time!
Daniel - The Talking Bridge

Ps. Music Motivation: