Book summary – finite and infinite games

is played with the purpose of winning
must come to an end to determine a winner
must have precise beginning
must boundaries
- spatial
- numerical
players all agree to the same set of rules
play within boundaries
be serious
element of surprise forces the game to end
prize of victory is a title
contradictory – play to end the play
the concept of power
- can only be measured after the play
- after what already happened
- freedom person has within the limits
no nation can go to war until it can find one to go to war against
Societal conventions forces the repeat of a completed past

is played with the purpose of continuing the play
engaged freely by players
no definite beginning
no boundaries
only purpose is to prevent it from coming to an end
the rules must change in the course of the play
- when it imperils continued play
- to bring as many persons as possible to the play
play with boundaries
be playful – learning to start something we cannot finish
each surprise reveals a new beginning
paradoxical – players play so as to continue the play in other
the concept of strength
- cannot be measured
- freedom person has with manipulating the limits
only that which can change can continue
Culture opens the possibility of new beginnings and new interpretation

life is fluid
Touching versus moving
- touch when I respond from my own center
- moved when you bring me towards your foreseen and prepared place
The goal of technology is to eliminate itself from the subjective experience by making itself scarce and barely noticeable
One does not bring change to the garden but come to it prepared for change
- so is travel
- travelers travel not to overcome distance but to discover distance
Waste exist in the mind of the creator. Nature has no concept of waste
Resonance versus amplification
- coming from within versus coming from without