Naval Ravikant uses “game” as a metaphor for building a life that compounds, not in a playful way, but in a practical one. When you see life as a game, you stop guessing what matters and start building with intention.
Here is a clear map of the concept and its usage.
1. Life is single player
Most people chase the outer scoreboard. Titles, likes, praise, comparisons.
Naval’s view is simpler. Your only real opponent is your past self.
The single player mindset means you set your own rules and judge progress along your own timeline.
The outer scoreboard is loud and late.
The inner scoreboard is quiet and accurate.
2. Choose the right game
Finite games end with winners and losers. These are status fights and zero-sum battles that burn you out.
Infinite games keep you growing. They include learning, building, health, and relationships.
Positive-sum games like technology and markets reward everyone who plays well.
A good rule of thumb: If winning forces you to hurt others, pick a different game.
3. Prioritize compounding
Compounding is the closest thing to a real-life cheat code. Steady inputs turn into exponential outcomes.
Knowledge compounds.
Capital compounds.
Relationships compound.
Ask yourself: “Will this still reward me in five to ten years?” If yes, stay with it.
4. Build your character through specific knowledge
In games, you pick a class. In life, you build specific knowledge.
This is the mix of things you are naturally good at, love doing, and the market values.
It does not come from generic courses. You learn it by doing.
It is usually oddly specific because it sits at your unique intersection.
5. Level up with leverage
Leverage multiplies your judgment.
It comes in three forms: labor, capital, and code or media.
Naval’s equation is simple: Specific Knowledge + Leverage + Accountability = outsized outcomes.
Accountability builds trust. Leverage scales your reach.
6. Know your currencies
Your real currencies are time, energy, attention, reputation, and capital.
Time is fixed. Energy and attention can be trained.
Reputation is a credit line you borrow from the future.
Use money to buy time.
Use time to build a reputation.
Use reputation to attract leverage.
Track your energy by task. Build your day around high-energy blocks.
7. Treat life as a set of quests
Big goals become manageable when you turn them into quests.
Each quest has a clear objective, resources, constraints, allies, and boss fights.
Build. Ship. Get feedback. Iterate.
Run life in six to twelve-week seasons with one main quest and one side quest.
8. Find the right difficulty
Too easy leads to boredom. Too hard leads to anxiety.
The sweet spot is flow, where the challenge sits just above your skill level.
If you feel overwhelmed, your starting zone was wrong.
Weekly rule: increase difficulty by ten percent when things feel trivial, decrease by ten percent when you freeze.
9. Step out of status games
Status games are about ranking, not creating. They feel urgent and addictive but never compound.
Wealth creation is a positive sum. Status is zero-sum.
If you must choose, pick creation over status.
10. Manage desire to protect peace
Naval says, “Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”
The more desires you juggle, the more stress you create.
Peace improves performance because a clear mind acts cleanly.
Keep one to three active desires at most.
11. Improve your luck
There are four kinds of luck.
- Pure chance.
- Luck from motion. You do more, so more happens.
- Luck from preparation. You see what others miss.
- Luck that finds you. Your reputation pulls opportunities toward you.
Publish your work. Make it easy for people to find you.
12. Build systems, not just goals
Goals are outputs. Systems are inputs.
Your systems are the habits you control: reading, thinking on paper, shipping work, moving your body, sleeping well, and getting sunlight.
If your systems are right, the scoreboard takes care of itself.
Create a daily checklist that is small, consistent, and unskippable.
13. Choose long-term people
Character compounds are just like capital.
Work with people who have integrity. Trust speeds everything up.
Avoid clever people with poor character. They create negative compounding.
Filter for speed, quality, and kindness.
14. Choose ownership and accountability
If you want compounding outcomes, lean toward equity over wages.
Ownership ties your incentives to results.
Accountability builds trust and opens doors to leverage.
Pick projects where your upside grows with the value you create.
15. Quit the wrong games
A skilled player switches games when the map no longer fits their build.
Sunk costs trap you.
Quitting frees attention for games that compound.
Ask – “If this were not part of my life yet, would I add it now?”
16. A simple operating system
Daily:
- Read 30 to 60 minutes
- Make one small thing
- Move your body, protect sleep, and get sunlight
- Skip one status game
Weekly:
- Ship one artifact publicly
- Have one or two deep conversations
- Review energy and time logs
Seasonal:
- One main quest
- One skill tree upgrade
- A reputation check. Is your work signaling the game you want to play?