My Goodreads Review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
“Play” has saddled up alongside “innovation”, “social entrepreneurship”, and “network” as a buzzword for the early 21st century. Written decades before, however, Carse’s book is a unique and fascinating attempt to adopt the “game” as a framework for all of human behavior.
The essential dichotomy is between those who play “finite games” for results, prizes, and recognition and those who play “infinite games” for the sheer joy and challenge.
I read this on a plane ride over the Pacific and loved the first section but was not in the proper mental state to decode some of its more cryptic elements. The book is written in a style meant to be more quotable, playful, and thought-provoking than direct. Rather than offering polished philosophy, it offers loosely defined ideas from which the reader is expected to draw meaning.
For some, Carse will be the wordsmith who puts many old thoughts of their own into words. For others, Carse will offer a challenging yet fascinating world view that enables them to grow with the book. For the rest, Carse will simply by an eloquent charlatan, pumping out more fluff than Durkee-Mower.
I’m reserving my judgment until after a second, more cognizant reading.
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