The Great Online Game

by Packy McCormick

Beginner · Medium

Original on notboring.co
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Summary

McCormick frames the internet as one vast, ongoing game that anyone can join by sharing ideas, building projects, and meeting people online. Using examples from Elon Musk to a Roblox creator to the mayor of Miami, he argues that small public efforts can compound into new careers and wealth, and that crypto adds in-game currency to this game. He closes with practical advice on how to start playing.

Key points

  • Remote knowledge work technically fits the dictionary definition of a video game.
  • The game is infinite and played as yourself across social media, work, projects, and investments.
  • Curiosity, sharing, and helping without expecting returns increase your exposure to lucky opportunities.
  • Examples like Alex Danco and Lil Nas X show online activity turning into careers and fame.
  • Crypto, NFTs, and DAOs act as currency, items, and teams inside this larger game.
  • Players should start in a niche community, experiment freely, and avoid being cruel to others.

Why practice this

McCormick writes in a casual, energetic newsletter voice with direct address, rhetorical questions, and quick lists of examples. Retyping him teaches how to sustain a single extended metaphor across a long piece while keeping the tone friendly and fast.

Practice an excerpt

These excerpts are short quotations for practice and commentary. All rights stay with the author; read the whole essay at the original source.

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It’s Monday morning. You’re tired. You have to go to work. You have an assignment that you pushed off on Friday, because it’s practically Hot Vax Summer and you had plans, but now it’s Monday and damn. Now you need to do that thing. This does not seem fun. This does not seem like a game.
The Game rewards community and cooperation over individualism and competition. You get points for being curious, sharing, and helping with no expectation of reciprocation. By increasing your surface area, you’re opening yourself up to serendipity. For good actors, the Game has nearly unlimited upside, and practically no downside.
When people ask me my title, I don’t have a good answer. Writer? Founder? Investor? Some guy with a newsletter? They all fit, and I’m sure I’ll add more over time. Playing the Game is about having fun and opening doors that you didn’t even know existed.

About this essay

McCormick argues that life and work online now function like an open-ended video game with real financial and social rewards.

“The Great Online Game” was written by Packy McCormick. Read the original at notboring.co. Copywork shows a summary and short excerpts for practice and commentary; all rights stay with the author.

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