Finite and Infinite Games Part 1

1. 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.
2. If a finite game is to be won by someone, it must come to a definite end. It will come to an end when someone has won...

Finite Games are the familiar contests of everyday life, the games we play in business and politics, in the bedroom and on the battlefield- games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. Infinite games are more mysterious- and ultimately more rewarding. They are unscripted and unpredictable; they are the source of true freedom.

The rules of the finite game may not change; the rules of an infinite game must change.
Finite players play within boundaries; infinite players play with boundaries.
Finite players are serious; infinite games are playful.
A finite player plays to be powerful; an infinite player plays with strength.
A finite player consumes time; an infinite player generates time.
The finite player aims for eternal life; the infinite player aims for eternal birth.