I consider myself fortunate to be able to have lived in the same house as the co-founders of Colonist.io and become their friends. Shout out to Demiculus and Esqarrouth.
In the last six months since I started playing Colonist online, I’ve played approximately 500+ games and climbed the ranking ladder to the top 30 in Singapore. Initially, I didn’t care about my rank, but as I kept earning more points, the chase for glory became a little addictive.
Game and ranking aside, here are three principles of life, spoken in the context of Colonist:
1 — Good Win Rate x High Game Volume = Beast
- In Colonist, your win rate often correlates with your ranking, but it’s not a perfect comparison. For instance, someone might be ranked 10th in Taiwan with a 53% win rate, while someone else might be ranked 20th with a 60% win rate. This discrepancy is due to the number of games played over the season. More games and a higher number of wins equate to a higher ranking due to the consistency factor.
- In startups, consistently showing up is one of the key principles. If you play a ton of “games,” you’ll have more repetitions than someone who’s just starting out. Even if you fail initially, maintaining a high learning velocity with a focus on mastery will yield strong long-term results.
- Learning velocity matters. Focus on an above-average win rate at a high velocity, and you’ll be in the fast lane.
2 — Take the infinite game of life and tranche it into smaller finite games
- Inspired by the book Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse, this point emphasizes treating life as theoretically infinite games. Slicing the long game into small, manageable finite games with clear goals and timeframes enables clear measurement of results.
- For instance, aiming to lose 5 lbs in the next quarter allows you to measure the effectiveness of your efforts and use the learnings for subsequent finite games. Setting yourself up for consistent learning through action and reflection within the constraints of a finite game can provide concrete insights in a short time frame.
3 — Great players can switch to an omniscient view
- Often, we get bogged down with small tasks that consume our energy, losing sight of the bigger picture. In the game of Colonist/Catan, great players can grasp the entire map and understand the interplay of various components, not just for themselves but also for their opponents. They refrain from getting overly emotional about decisions they can’t control.
- Similarly, in real life, the ability to shift from “working in the business” to “working on the business” when relevant is a superpower observed in the people I admire the most.
Bonus: Colonist Strategy Learnings
I had the pleasure of battling the former US Champion of Catan, Bo Peng. After witnessing his gameplay, I took three takeaways that can also be applied to real life:
- Pre-Defined Win Condition: He established his win condition at the beginning of the game, guiding his decision-making principles toward that goal.
- Avoid Wasted Resources and Divergent Strategies: He strategically influenced other players’ decisions, leading them to compete for the same win condition, effectively utilizing their resources for his advantage.
- Scenario Mapping: Bo consistently planned four to five steps ahead, anticipating scenarios, risks, and contingencies based on the projected progression of the game.
Here is a picture of Bo and I duking it out for settlement placements.
In my first six months of playing Colonist, I’ve learned a lot. It’s been an incredible ride to learn from the best, compete with them, and climb the ladder. I hope you can relate to the life lessons I’ve learned from playing Colonist/Catan.
Thanks for reading!
