•Finite games have winners and losers, predefined space and time. They seek mastery and completion. •Infinite games have no predetermined end, they continue as long as players keep playing. They seek continued re-engagement and participation. Action: Consider which "games" you play in life - are they more finite or infinite in nature? Focus on playing more infinite games that allow for growth and learning.

The Finite & The Infinite Game

•Finite games have fixed sets of rules that determine outcome. Players try to master the rules and procedures to win. •Rules limit creativity and power in finite games, whereas in infinite games rules are invitations not limitations. Action: Examine the "rules" in your life and work - are any stifling creativity and growth? Consider loosening fixed rules to allow more flexibility.

The Rules Of Finite Games

•Infinite games have loose, changeable rules made by players during play to sustain the game. •Rules in infinite games serve to deepen involvement, not predetermine outcomes. They allow for continuous learning. Action: Implement "rules" in your own life and work that serve to keep you engaged and learning vs. limit you. Loosen rules when needed.

The Rules Of Infinite Games

•Power in finite games seeks domination and control over others. The powerful few control the many. •In infinite games power seeks circulation amongst many players, empowering others to keep the game in play. Action: Consider how you wield power and influence - do you seek to dominate or empower others? Focus on circulating power to enable growth for all.

Power In Finite & Infinite Games

Learning what games to play in life is key. 

“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “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.” Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be won, which is when they end. But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end. What are infinite games? How do they affect the ways we play our finite games? What are we doing when we play—finitely or infinitely? And how can infinite games affect the ways in which we live our lives? Carse explores these questions with stunning elegance, teasing out of his distinctions a universe of observation and insight, noting where and why and how we play, finitely and infinitely. He surveys our world—from the finite games of the playing field and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. Along the way, Carse finds new ways of understanding everything, from how an actress portrays a role to how we engage in sex, from the nature of evil to the nature of science. Finite games, he shows, may offer wealth and status, power and glory, but infinite games offer something far more subtle and far grander. Carse has written a book rich in insight and aphorism. Already an international literary event, Finite and Infinite Games is certain to be argued about and celebrated for years to come. Reading it is the first step in learning to play the infinite game.

Finite and Infinite Games

The Finite & The Infinite Game

The Rules Of Finite Games

The Rules Of Infinite Games

Power In Finite & Infinite Games

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