Flow: The Game Of Games

Flow x Game Theory

If you can’t play, you can’t win.

Here’s the mistake most make:
They think game theory is for Wall Street, statisticians, or poker addicts. Not for them.

But we play games every day.
Whether we realize it or not.
Whether we like it or not.

No grasp of game theory?
You hesitate.
You get outplayed.
You freeze when life demands a hard move.
You become a pawn in someone else’s game.
You act like an NPC instead of the main hero in your life.

We grow old and stiff in mind, body, and soul, because we forget how to play.

Game theory isn’t about numbers. It’s about making life a series of wonders and flow.

Game theory helps to design your flow:
The state where your challenges, skills, feedback, focus, purpose collide and light you up from within;
How you align yourself, your actions, and the world.

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The 4 Main Game Classes

There are 4 main game classes, according to psychological anthropologist Roger Caillois.

I can’t know which of these types your life demands you to ace, or be at least damn good. But what I do know is this.
Knowing is half the battle won:

1. Agon (competition): Sports, chess, PvP video games.
   Opponents push you to stretch your skills. Competition sharpens experience and flow only if focus stays on the activity. Not external rewards. Not others appraisal. Not noise.

2. Alea (chance): Dice, cards, gambling.
   Wired in our ancient urge to predict the future, they give the thrill (or illusion) of controlling fate.

3. Ilinx (vertigo): VR, skydiving, extreme sports.
   Activities that scramble perception and perhaps expand consciousness. The paradox here? The price of these games is losing control of the consciousness we try to expand.

4. Mimicry (role-play): Theater, dance, cosplay, RPG games.
   By acting like something or someone else, we expand ourselves.

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Games transcend us beyond the ordinary.
They help us to flow, think, discover.
They push our performance, skills, and growth. To become faster, stronger, bolder, smarter.

Can everything in your day be a game? Probably not. But you know you can gamify parts.

Games push us to become more complex:

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Let’s Talk Complexity

GOOD Complexity = Differentiation + Integration

Differentiation = separation from the out. Uniqueness. Finding and realizing yourself.

Integration = beyond the in. Collaboration with others. Union. Connecting yourself.

The more games you play the more your complexity improves.

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The 7 Core Game Theory Principles Applied For Flow

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1. Nash Equilibrium

No one acts first. So everyone waits.

You don’t change because your environment doesn’t. Your environment doesn’t change because you don’t.

So you stay stuck in low-energy routines because nothing around you changes. So you don’t either.

→ Flow move: Change one variable so the rest must adapt.

• Build in public / find accountability buddies.

• Add a Kanban board that forces feedback.

• Shift your environment: tweak workspace, working time, tools

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2. Prisoner’s Dilemma

No trust. Everyone loses.

Your mind is a cage. It plays both prisoner and warden. Part of you wants to go all-in. Another part fears failure. They fight each other so you stay stuck in half-effort limbo. Still tired. Still afraid. No progress.

→ Flow move: Get into flow with small, low-risk commitments. Prove neither part will sabotage the other.

Ego: “We’re safe.” Soul: “We’re moving.”

• Instead of forcing a 3-hour deep work block, start with 25 focused minutes.

• Do not lose heart from the top’s distance:

georgelongovitis

A post shared by @georgelongovitis

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3. Zero-Sum vs. Non-Zero-Sum

It’s not you or them. You don’t lose because others win. So stop acting like you do.

If you see everything as competition you can’t grow your good complexity. No sense to treat life as if there are limited resources on worth, love, success, or wisdom. Reframe the work as non-zero-sum: play to learn, to create, to grow, to explore.

→ Flow moves: Treat others’ wins as proof that more is possible. Compete against your past self, not the market. Instead of “I must beat everyone,” switch to “I must beat my old self.” That shift moves you from stress to curiosity.

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4. Dominant Strategy

Choose the move that always works.

Healthy habits. Eat, sleep, breathe well. Love. These work for you whether you are winning or struggling, motivated or lazy.

You already know all of them.

→ Flow move: Lock in 1–2 daily dominant actions that always work. Doesn’t matter if you feel like it:

• Build your own Flow Pantheon (shameless plug)

• Remove the non dominant strategies. If carbs make you sluggish, avoid them like Hell before your deep work. Simple.

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5. Iterated Games

Build trust and reputation from within. It compounds.

A single broken promise to yourself doesn’t ruin you.

But breaking them over and over teaches your subconscious you are a player that can’t or shouldn’t be trusted. Respected, Or liked.

→ Flow move: Play the long game with small promises and keep them. Be impeccable with your word (thanks Don Ruiz). “I’ll start at 9.” → Do it. “I’ll stop at 12.” → Stop.

Small kept promises compound into deep self-respect.

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6. Signaling

Prove. Action is the truth.

You make all the noise you want when can say “I’m disciplined” or “I’m spiritual.” But the signal that matters is what you do when no one’s around.

→ Flow move: Create signals that flip the switch.

• Set a timer.

• Mute notifications

• Use your Flow Pantheon

Your actions make or break your focus.

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7. Schelling Point

Meet yourself where it’s obvious.

When you feel lost, you don’t need a perfect plan. You need the next obvious thing.

→ Flow move: Always start from the obvious, friction-free action. The interesting part is that most of the times we do know what we have to do.

Flow can’t start until the game starts.

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Play

The better you play, the freer you get.

Every decision. Every delay. Every move. It’s all play.

Flow is not luck. It’s from your design. Steal the fire from Gods like Prometheus did.

But gift it to yourself first. Flow is the game that makes every game worth it.

Lifeward,