In life we all play games, striving for mastery of these games and in life in general. There are many components that go into gameplay and how its structured, but what’s to be discussed is, not how its structured, but how its played. So far, I’ve identified 3 levels of Game: principle based game, method based game, and routines/combinatorial game. The highest level being principle based, and decreasing by one level until combinatorial game. More generally these 3 levels are actually subsets of something more fundamental, inner game and outer game. Inner game being the principle based game, and outer being method and routines. Now the controversy lies in what you should focus on. Some argue inner game is …show more content…
I define inner game as being your mindset, that’s based on your frame of reference which determines your emotional state, and your set of beliefs about yourself that determines how you frame situations. For example, if I learn a cool pick up routine online and try to use it on a random girl, if I have weak inner game, she 'll see right through those routines for what you really are. Otherwise, routines will work, because the principles underlying attraction are being used. But, the use of routines themselves is inefficient, in adaptable, and unnatural. This leads me into the definition of Outer game, Outer game is any part of the mastery process, that is based on improving skills through the use of a non-recursive algorithm, such that one can employ general methods to improving a skill , independent of the user of the method, and requires no self-reflection. This may sound complicated, but in essence, I’m saying outer game is a fixed formula for getting better at a particular skill, and getting better at it regardless of how you feel. Outer game is flawed, but so is inner game. I can’t answer the given question with a simple binary inner game is better or outer game is better, because the truth is more nuanced than …show more content…
Inner game, being based on principles and is an internal affair, is actually the superset to all of outer game. In Outer game, the methods and routines are derived from the principles of the art to be mastered. In simpler, more concrete terms, if the art you were trying to learn was say a martial art, like Krav Maga, then the inner game would be aggression, but aggression based on principles. The principles, structuring the aggression, would be: attack and defend simultaneously, redirect, control, and get out. The techniques of Krav would fall under Outer game and would be based on the Principles, likewise the routines/combinatorial game would be the individual combinations you can form with the Krav techniques. Having a tight inner game for Krav, you would naturally be a good fighter, for you would respond dynamically to fights, using your instincts as a guide so its more