Finite and Infinite Games

Here, James P. Carse argues that there are two kinds of games: finite and infinite. 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. 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. 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... .