Love is not a zero-sum game

We are all gamers. We play games everyday.

A game is being played whenever people interact with each other. Men and women play courting games. An employee and his boss negotiating his pay raise are playing a bargaining game. When an internet user logs in to Ebay to bid for his favourite item, he is playing a game with the other bidders of that item.

On a chess board, the player's sole aim is to checkmate his opponent. With that move, he claims complete victory, thus becoming the winner. Like most other games, chess is a zero-sum game. If you don't win, you lose.

Zero-sum game, as explained in Wikipedia.

In game theory and economic theory, zero-sum describes a situation in which a participant's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the other participant(s). If the total gains of the participants are added up, and the total losses are subtracted, they will sum to zero.

Then, is love a zero-sum game?


Trapped in a period of sulking after exiting my previous relationship, I was inclined to believe love is a zero-sum game. I remember feeling bitter during that time. While she has found bliss, I was in a bad shape.

Of course, I was duly wrong.

I realized that after shifting to a different mindset. When there is no light at the end of the tunnel, breaking up would be a better solution. This is not a win-lose situation, it is win-win for both of us.

The Game of Love isn't a zero-sum game. That's for sure.