The Hidden Game: How It Is Played

In our life The Hidden Game presents itself in any number of ways. The veneers may vary, but beneath the surface it is always the same game.

Defining Features of The Game

First, its a winner takes all free-for-all. Theres an old Latin proverb, vi victis which means, Woe to the vanquished! In what I refer to as The Game, winning is what counts and it is of little interest how we make our way to the finish line. This promotes an intensely competitive environment where empathy, fair play and good manners just get in the way. Our peers are not comrades but rivals; fighting, as we are, tooth and nail for the big prize.

Second, its a strategy commonly referred to as creating the disease and then providing the cure.

An example of this strategy is the complete deregulation of the derivatives by the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission). This naturally led to rapid abuse by the investment banks who designed the system and lobbied against regulations in the first place. That same group is now placed in charge of cleaning up the mess. They might not be the same individuals, but theyre drawn from the same tribe, or what I call The Players.

Another example is how we titillate our youth with graphic depictions of the good life. Then, when they look for shortcuts to get there, we punish them for making bad choices.

Third, the deck is stacked in such a way that only the Players and their loyalists can win. They control all the gates of entry and ensure that only those they deem acceptable can break through the glass ceiling. No matter how brilliant and self reliant we may be, we have no choice but to market our product. We might privately nurture delusions of being refuseniks, but in one way or another we are required to play in their Game.

Next, the law is on their side. Written and interpreted in such a way that they preserve the status quo and keep everyone compliant, law protect the Players. The common thief is prosecuted while the greatest charlatans roam free. It is common knowledge who the real culprits behind the economic crash of 2008 are, yet because of so called legal technicalities they cannot be brought to justice.

And finally, the Players must ensure that the circle at the top is hermetically sealed. This requires the active complicity of all those at the top. The only way to ensure this is to have something on each and every one of the inner circle. If any one of them should break ranks for whatever reason they and their loved ones would pay a heavy price. The Italian mafia is famous for omerta its code of silence. The sworn secrecy around initiation rites for college fraternity houses is no different. This applies equally to the corporate world. Swiss banks, cigarette companies and oil companies are no different. Whistle-blowers are usually persecuted or ostracized, only rarely are they celebrated.

Each and every one of these tribes of Players has their own variation on the theme, but again, its still the same game.

The Hidden Game is a grand illusion a magicians trick. With smoke and mirrors the Players conjure a virtual reality. Perception becomes reality and once the illusion is created, it is our innate tribalism and narcissism that keep that reality in place.

An example of this is the Cult of Marketing . Through some weird alchemy we are being conned into believing that the individual is really a brand, that manipulation is really persuasion, and that pushing more product out the door is somehow promoting the greater good.

Defining Features of the The Players

To start with they do not have horns or cloven hooves. They look like you and me with only the subtlest of differences, detectable only to those who know what to look for. Their presentation is smooth, and they can be charming and engaging when they so wish. They are natural salesman, drawn to those vocations where some kind of selling is the key to success.

Players are born, not made. Narcissistic by nature, they are compelled to do as they do. They would no more restrain themselves from ruthlessly pursuing the goals than a fox would conquer its appetite for chickens.

There are however, two defining traits that Players share which makes them easy to identify:

First, they are obsessive impression managers meticulously crafting how they appear to others.

Second, they have a limitless sense of entitlement that makes them incapable of experiencing gratitude or contrition. This entitlement also makes them extremely vindictive when their schemes are thwarted.

As spooky as this may sound, it is best to think of the Players as an altogether separate species. Far from being extraterrestrial, they are only too human, but their patterns of behavior are so unnervingly cold and unwavering, that we find ourselves falling into the trap of saying, Surely no one can be that bad. They can, and they are! We forget this at our own peril.

Though all the Players are cut from the same cloth, there are distinctions to be made between them. The Alpha Player is the master puppeteer who lies tucked well away from view, while those small time poseurs we encounter in our daily lives are the Betas. We, of course, are the Drones.

The Alpha Player

There is a Chinese expression Thick face, Black heart which aptly portrays the Alpha Player. Thick face signifies an indifference to how they appear to others. Whether others like or dislike, respect or despise them is only of interest so far as it serves their ends. Black heart conveys the ability to plumb the depths of evil, transcending all moral boundaries in the pursuit of their interests.

The Beta Player

Betas, while being far greater in number than the Alphas, are much less dangerous. Their primary concern is with looking good and living well. Though they are indifferent to the wants and needs of others, theyre not outright predators like the Alphas. They are however the ultimate survivors, infinitely malleable; they can adapt themselves to any and all circumstances with the greatest of ease.


The Drones


Finally there are the Drones, the pawns that the Players move about the chessboard of the Game. Drones are not really Players in the full sense, but they would very much like to be. A Drone could be an officious customs officer, the enthusiastic keener at the Monday meeting at work or the judge who adheres to the strictest letter of the law.

Drones are the steadfast loyalists, the zealous proponents of the party line. They are the rank and file, the troopers who can be relied upon to implement policy and deflect any blame away from the Players themselves. The Players, despite going to great lengths to motivate and encourage the drones, think of them as nothing more than a disposable resource which can be very easily replenished.

Whatever role we are playing in the Game Player, Drone or refusenik we are all impacted by the game strategy in one way or another. This does not imply that we should all aspire to become Players. Players are born not made. Any Drone who is foolhardy enough to attempt to win at the Game is doomed from the start. Instead, the solution lies in learning to play the Players, rather than to play the Game.

Are you ready to learn the inner workings of the Hidden Game? Are you ready to gain the competitive edge and thrive in the Players arena without compromising your integrity?

If you want to stop being a victim to the Players game, let me share more with you about how the Hidden Game is played and how you can reclaim your life.

In my book series on, The Hidden Game, I reveal the tactics and motivations of societys Players and how they operate. My goal is to give you the leverage you need to not only out-smart the Players, but to play and win.

My passion is a call-to-arms to every thinking man and woman to free themselves from the yoke of The Hidden Game.