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Playing the right game (52)

A reflection on a year of writing

And just like that, it’s been a full year since New Phaistos went live. What a journey it's been! I've kept a steady rhythm — one post every weekend — and many of you have left thoughtful comments that sparked some great discussions. Thank you for reading, sharing, and joining me along the way!

To mark this 52nd post, I thought I’d celebrate with something lighter; a few reflections from my recent trip to Sweden.

Impressions from Sweden

Let’s start with the obvious: Sweden was a delightful surprise. Beyond the minimalist design, efficiency, and cultural exports pop culture conditions us to associate with the country, it offered a deeper sense of calm and order.

One thing I particularly admired was how nature is seamlessly woven into everyday life. Stockholm, for instance, is 40% green space — parks, forests, and water all organically integrated into the cityscape. Even privately owned natural areas are accessible to the public, thanks to a deep-rooted respect for nature and shared space. As long as you're considerate, you’re welcome.

Furthermore, the level of public trust is simply astonishing. Take, for example, the traditional Swedish café. There are no waiters. You queue, tell the cashier what you want, pay — and that's it. I was puzzled at first when I only received a receipt and no coffee. But then I noticed: tucked away at the back of the room was a station with a pot of fresh coffee, milk, sugar, and cups. You simply serve yourself. There’s no one checking to see if you’ve paid. It’s assumed that if you’re enjoying the coffee, you’ve done your part. That kind of trust is both humbling and refreshing.

The illusion of control

But the most unexpected moment came at Stockholm’s Vasa Museum (strongly recommended by the way). It tells the story of the 17th-century warship "Vasa", which sank just minutes into its maiden voyage due to fundamental design flaws and poor planning.

To help bring this to life for kids young and old, the museum includes an interactive games section. After a few minutes there, I noticed something odd.

There were two games in the hall: one on the left wall (blue box in the photo) and one in the center (red box). Both simulated the difficulty of steering a warship, but they were different. The catch? The people playing the red game thought they were playing the blue one. They were watching the wrong screen, cheering and making suggestions as if their inputs were affecting it — but they weren’t. The game finished, and no one realized the mistake.

Now, yes this is clearly a user interface issue. But isn’t it also a suitable metaphor for our life? So often, we believe we’re controlling something. We react, adjust, feel pride or disappointment over outcomes. And then, the “game” ends — and we realize we weren’t even looking at the right screen. We were inputting, but not affecting. Of course, our actions do matter, but the condition is that we have to understand the game we're actually in.

How about you? Do you know what game you are playing?


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