Carse drew me in by discussing one of my life's great passions, and ended up teaching me a new way to view the rest of the world. The book is not perfect. Although I love his terse writing style, some people will be annoyed that every word has meaning and every thought must be understood before the next will make sense. He does give many very good examples which help a great deal, although if you already understand the concept he is stating you may find the example tedious. For example, he correctly points out that games are played to be ended.
Monopoly is played with the intention of ending the game with a winner.
Carse contends that finite games are played so as to stop play, and that this is a contradiction. I contend that this is merely an interesting way of examining the course of the game. You start a friendship with the hope that your friend will be a happier person because of it, even when you are not around. Carse suggests that your friendship is paradoxical because it is successful when you do not need to participate. I suggest that my successful friendships cause some level of inspiration for my friends.