Finite Vs. Infinite Games
Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be won, which is when they end. But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end.
Origin
American religious studies scholar James P. Carse introduced the concepts in his 1986 book Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility, published by The Free Press. The 150-page book distinguished finite games (played to win, with fixed rules and endings) from infinite games (played to continue play, with mutable boundaries). Though it gained devoted readers and cult-like following, it didn't reach mass audiences until 2019, when Simon Sinek published his Carse-influenced book The Infinite Game.