Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Zero-Sum Game Reflection agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The game-selection skill is a reflection guide for AI agents, based on a chapter of Naval Ravikant's book, the Naval Almanack. When you feel envy, competition fatigue or confusion about being attacked, the agent uses it to work out what kind of game you are playing: a zero-sum status game, a positive-sum wealth game, or a solo game of inner growth. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and where it does not apply.
Zero-Sum Game Reflectionkangarooking/cangjie-skill · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the game-selection ZIP from this page and unzip it so you have a game-selection folder containing SKILL.md.
- 2Place the folder. Move the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or to .claude/skills/ inside one project. Or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Describe the situation. Tell the agent what happened and how it felt, in plain words, such as being criticised or feeling envious of someone.
- 4Classify the game. Let the agent decide whether the situation is a zero-sum status game, a positive-sum wealth game or a solo game of inner growth.
- 5Run the envy and scorecard checks. Ask whether you would still do it without outside praise, and whether you would swap lives fully with the person you envy. If not, the skill suggests letting the envy go.
What does the game-selection skill make the agent do?
The skill asks the agent to classify your situation before you react to it. The source describes three kinds of game that run through a life: a zero-sum status game, where ranking is fixed and one person's gain is another's loss; a positive-sum wealth game, where the pie can grow so everyone can win; and a solo game of inner growth, such as happiness and self-improvement, which has no external scoreboard.
When someone attacks you, the skill suggests asking what game they are playing, since people who attack wealth creators are often just chasing status. When envy or comparison bothers you, it offers two tests: checking your scorecard, meaning whether you would still do the thing if no outside praise came with it, and the envy test, which asks whether you would be willing to swap lives completely with the person you envy.
How do you install the game-selection skill?
The skill is a folder named game-selection that contains SKILL.md, test-prompts.json and test-results.md. Download the ZIP from the skill's page on this site and unzip it. For Claude Code, place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available for you everywhere, or in the .claude/skills/ folder of a single project to limit it to that project.
If you use the Claude apps, you can upload the skill instead. Open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there. Check that the folder still contains SKILL.md after unzipping, because that file is what defines the skill.
- Personal use across projects: ~/.claude/skills/game-selection
- One project only: .claude/skills/game-selection inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?
You do not need a special command. The skill's description lists the situations and words that should bring it in, so describe what is bothering you in plain language. The source gives Chinese and English trigger phrases, including 'why do people attack me', 'why does everyone keep competing', 'why do I feel envy', 'status', 'zero-sum' and 'envy'.
A useful request says both what happened and how it felt. Naming the game you suspect, or asking the agent to help you classify it, also works well.
- Why is this coworker belittling me? Should I push back?
- I feel sour every time a friend from school gets a promotion. Help me think about it.
- Everyone in my team is competing so hard. Is it worth joining in?
- Is this a zero-sum status game or something I can actually win at?
What do example sessions look like?
The skill's own test file includes cases such as a coworker belittling you and whether to fight back, feelings of envy that show up as 'a sour feeling', and whether to join an intense culture of competition. In each case the agent classifies the game first, then applies the matching step: a zero-sum status game you do not need to win is marked as not worth winning, and envy is checked with the swap-lives question.
The skill is most useful when you bring a specific situation. Expect the agent to ask questions and to reflect with you, rather than give a verdict on what to do.
What does the skill need, and what are its safety notes?
The source lists no requirements. The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, so it works as plain instructions the agent reads. Nothing in the source says it sends your text anywhere.
The skill is a reading-based reflection framework from a popular book. It is not clinical support. The source says it should not be used for serious mental health concerns, and the skill's test notes record that the self-check was not a blind test, so treat its output as prompts for your own thinking.
- Requirements: none listed in the source
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Not a substitute for professional help with serious mental health concerns
When should you not use it, and what are the limits?
The skill is not for winning competitions. The source says that if you need to win a sports match or secure a promotion, the agent should give competitive strategy instead of advice to leave the game. It also notes that in unavoidable office or political conflicts, 'exiting the game' is unrealistic, so the aim there is to recognise the game rather than fight it head-on.
The source also names its own blind spots. Stepping out of status games is not realistic for everyone in organisations, and a solo-game framing can drift into avoiding real competition. Use the skill to sort your thinking, then decide with the context you have.
- Do not use it for competitive planning such as sports or promotions
- Do not expect it to remove unavoidable workplace or political conflict
- Pair it with long-term-compounding for time-scale questions, and happiness-skill for training your state
What people use it for
- Deciding whether to answer a coworker who keeps belittling you
- Noticing when envy of a friend's success is really about status
- Checking whether an intense internal competition is worth your energy
- Reconnecting with an activity you value only for its own sake
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the game-selection agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Place the game-selection folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does the game-selection skill need any requirements or run scripts?
The source lists no requirements. The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network. It consists of instructions in SKILL.md, plus test files.
Is the game-selection skill free to use?
The source does not state a price or licence terms for use beyond the item's listed licence, which is MIT. Check the licence file in the repository for the terms that apply.
What is the difference between a zero-sum and a positive-sum game in this skill?
A zero-sum status game is about rank, where one person's win means another's loss. A positive-sum wealth game can grow so that many people win. The skill asks you to identify which one you are in before deciding how much effort to put in.
Can the skill help me win a competition or a promotion?
No. The source says the skill is not for competitive planning. For sports matches or promotions, it says the agent should use a different approach, such as competitive strategy.
Why does the agent not trigger when I ask about my skill?
Triggering depends on the situation and wording. Describe the feeling or conflict in plain language, using words like envy, comparison, status or being attacked. If it still does not trigger, check that SKILL.md is in the folder you installed it to.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you want a structured way to question envy, comparison or status-driven stress, and you are comfortable treating its output as reflective prompts. Pick a different approach if you need competitive strategy, clinical support for serious mental health concerns, or practical advice for conflicts you cannot avoid.
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