when i was a kid, i was obsessed with Mario Kart Wii.
not like, “play every day” obsessed. it was more like “memorize every map’s loot box locations to time shock-counters” obsessed.
thankfully, i grew out of it.
or at least, i did until last week, when i went back home and i decided to take on Rainbow Road again. looking at this game with new eyes, i couldn’t help but think of an idea that i saved in my notes a while ago. it’s called Bushnell’s Law:
“all of the best games are easy to learn and difficult to master.”
MKW is a perfect example of a game that a 5 year old and a 65 year old would both be able to enjoy without much practice. but i could probably say the same thing about another childhood favourite, Hobo Prison Brawl - and nobody plays that shit anymore.
so what’s the difference?
i think it’s the ‘difficult to master’ part that made MKW stand the test of time.
which brings me to another concept i like: finite vs infinite games.
“a finite game is played for the purpose of winning. an infinite game is played for the purpose of continuing to play.”
finite games have a clear ending where you can achieve something and the game just ends. for example, things like getting checkmate, hitting a sales target, or even passing a test.
infinite games, as the name suggests, never end. playing the game is the trophy. an easy real-world example is ‘being healthy.’ nobody cares if you go to the gym and eat a clean diet and sleep 8 hours once. ‘being healthy’ is an ongoing process where the only way to lose is to stop playing.
at my old age of 23, i’ve learned that pretty much every game that’s worth playing in life is an infinite game.
chasing a specific job? finite. working for a purpose? infinite.
wanting to lose 10 pounds? finite. wanting to keep off that 10 pounds? infinite.
MKW started off as something simple - a finite game - and ended up accidentally becoming a gateway to something far greater than that: mastery.
mastery is infinite.
there’s no finish line you can cross.
it’s an ongoing process that you must pour every ounce of yourself into, with no goal in mind other than just being a little bit better than you were yesterday.
so if you’re feeling lost, maybe you’re just stuck in a finite game.
shift your focus.
find something you can play forever.
what’s your infinite game?
some cool lessons
there’s a claim going around that 95% of adults over 30 will never sprint again for the rest of their lives
i couldn’t find any primary sources on this, so take it with a grain of salt. but it’s crazy to think about the idea that there will be a last time you do anything. it’s even crazier to realize that some of those moments have already passed!“any measure that becomes a target ceases to be a good measure”
this is known as Goodhart's Law, and there are tons of examples where it proves to be true. this really good article shows how it’s even managed to corrupt parts of academia via university rankings.Stephen Hawking threw a party for time travellers in 2009
he didn’t send out the invites until after it happened, and nobody showed up.
some cool things
i found an incredible videographer who inspires me
as a creator, i’m always taking inspiration from different people. so i was blown away when Karl Shakur popped up on my feed the other day. every one of his videos that i’ve seen is a masterclass in lighting and shot variety.the coolest stadium i’ve seen in a while
as a lifelong Manchester United fan, the club hasn’t given me much to be happy about in the last decade-plus. but they just unveiled the plans for their new 100,000+ seat stadium, and i’m pleasantly surprised. take a look:
wow… i can’t wait to lose to Ipswich Town in there.
that’s all for now!
thanks again for your support - it really does mean the world to me hearing from you guys each week.
see you soon!
~ liam (:
P.S. i have no more open slots for free 1 on 1 coaching this week, but i should be able to open it up again soon. you can still apply here if you’re interested!