inventing personal games

anything we do in life can be a game — and by game I mean, something you play for the pure pleasure of playing. pleasure, rather than profit, an end goal, or any tangible outcome. children don’t play games in order to get to the end — or, even really, to collect points — they play in order to keep playing. they’re hooked on the addiction of play.

can we apply this play-oriented way of life to being an adult? to pursuing our calling, learning new skills, to asking hard questions without answers?

the way of being in a “game” is:

• pleasure and joy-centric

• all about play & discovery

• focus on enjoying the process

• as casual or intense as you want it to be

• can be played in 5 minutes or binged for 5 hours

• casual about mistakes & failures

• full of immediate rewards (no matter how small)

• there might be a desired outcome, but it’s not the point

do you remember when, as a child, you’d make up imaginary worlds, and determine what constituted “winning” and “losing” — and what jewels, skills, rewards, dangers you encountered along the way? everything was a process of invention. I think we need to relearn that skill.

so, I am asking myself:

how can I apply “game-thinking” to learning a language? writing? creating new art? sharing my work? doing inner work? being with others? how can I turn life into a game — or into a series of mini-games, such that every moment can feel truly satisfying, mysterious, enjoyable — such that even the hard moments can be approached with an openness and curiosity, and a willingness to adventure?

PS. on this topic, a book on my reading list is Finite and Infinite Games — I’ll report back once I’ve read it.