The Builders Labor in Vain

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. – James Carse

Many common goals have the following structure:

  1. A difficult, finite game, followed by
  2. An easier, infinite game.

Finding and getting married to the right person is much harder than staying married to the right person, for example.

– @hiAndrewQuinn

I’ve come around to the idea that many things in life are zero-sum, finite games.

I grew up thinking that the world is a cooperative, collaborative place. That the highest and enlightened institutions are built on principles of mutual reciprocity. But I think Andrew is more correct.

The world is incredibly competitive and adversarial. To get to places of great abundance and mutual reciprocity requires winning first. You aren’t entitled entrance to these places. You have to earn it.

David Sirlin, competitive games player and author of Playing to Win, writes about what it takes to become the best at these zero-sum, adversarial games. And one of the things he emphasizes is that many people put self-imposed limits on winning these games. Things like, “you can’t win by abusing bugs” or “you can’t play X character because they’re too imbalanced.” As long as things are legal in tournaments, then Sirlin emphasizes you should use that strategy if it’s in fact the best strategy.

I’ve never been to a tournament where there was a prize for the winner and another prize who did the most difficult moves. I’ve also never seen a prize for a player who played “in an innovative way.” – Playing to Win

Sirlin also notes that this mentality can’t be carried over to life outside of games. Society requires virtues like mercy, kindness, and so on.

But how do you reconcile that a lot of life actually does fall under the category of “finite, zero-sum game?” Admissions slots at elite universities are scarce, the attention of one person in a relationship is scarce (and the relationship itself is scarce in monogamous relationships), specific job positions are scarce, 


I feel like I’ve been a fool my whole life. I’ve followed self-imposed limits like, “my test scores aren’t good enough” or “I don’t have the right credentials” to even try. And there are even more “taboo” tactics, like fraud, that other players in society have no gripes with abusing.

You must have moral character. At the same time
as long as what you’re doing falls within “tournament legal” moves, what’s stopping you from doing everything you can to win?