Learning From Game of Thrones on HBO

[Vassilios]

I'll try not to have any spoilers for those of you who watch GOT but read slowly just in case!

Most who watch this show realize how beautifully it is written, and I was able to sit down and really pay attention to the most recent episode (S5E03). It my eyes, it was filled with a lot of helpful tidbits on how to deal with people.

Brienne (the huge blonde warrior) is quite notorious for being a hard a$$ and not letting others in because of her past. In this episode she opened up A LOT, but why?! If you didn't pick up on it, it's beautifully simple.

Her Squire, Gendry, was genuinely interested and completely nonjudgemental of her. When they sat down to set up camp, he paid her complements that were 100% true, not just to kiss her a$$. His intent was not get on her good side, but rather to just learn as much as possible about/from her and in turn built up staggering rapport. She completely opened up to him about her past and offered to teach him how to become a great fighter. This scene is straight out of How to Win Friend and Influence People, people.

Another great scene contained Peter Balish/little finger and Sansa Stark and showed how great of a salesperson/influencer Peter is. I'll try not to give away much for those who haven't seen it yet. The two of them are on a journey and Sansa begins to resist the journey when she realizes that Peter had another intent the entire time. This devastated Sansa as it would mean her world is once again being turned upside down. Peter was able to steer the conversation and convey the pain that would come from going back, and the pleasure of following through with the journey.

I don't remember that scene quite as well, but I highly advise studying it because it's quite powerful and more importantly practical.


If anybody else has tidbits they have learned from this show that can be implemented into every day life, I'm sure everyone would love to hear it.

p.s. Sorry for any grammar mistakes I'm in a hurry here!!

 

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[kph200]

No it is not worth the time...5 seasons * 60mins avg episode*10episodes per seasons === 3000 minutes of my life. I gave up television for good long time ago. Games of throne or whatever comes next I just don't give a F*ck and neither should you man.
Stop this fantasy world and get real.

Channel your time, energy, resources towards valuable sets of goals. Time is brief don't waste it on Game of thrones

 

[The Grind]

I'd rather study real entrepreneurs who created real business's and made something of themselves.

Learning from a tv show is great and everything.

But making a thread about learning a couple things from a tv show...

We could make a thread about literally every show and movie in existence and say what you can learn from watching it.

But that would be a waste of time don't you think.

 

[CJC3392]

No it is not worth the time...5 seasons * 60mins avg episode*10episodes per seasons === 3000 minutes of my life. I gave up television for good long time ago. Games of throne or whatever comes next I just don't give a F*ck and neither should you man.
Stop this fantasy world and get real.

Channel your time, energy, resources towards valuable sets of goals. Time is brief don't waste it on Game of thrones

 

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[The Grind]

 

[Vassilios]

I'm not about to get offended by a bunch of people that I don't know. Y'all don't have that power. I agree that tv is a waste of time, but I'm not a robot so I'm gonna watch a show I like during cardio and if I can actually learn something during it, dope.

 

[Digamma]

No it is not worth the time...5 seasons * 60mins avg episode*10episodes per seasons === 3000 minutes of my life. I gave up television for good long time ago. Games of throne or whatever comes next I just don't give a F*ck and neither should you man.
Stop this fantasy world and get real.

Channel your time, energy, resources towards valuable sets of goals. Time is brief don't waste it on Game of thrones

Said the guy writing for free on an Internet forum. If you can't set aside an hour a week to relax you are doing something seriously wrong and probably wasting energy.
Besides, if you can work 100% all the time it means you are doing easy shit. If you work hard 24/7 you will be a nervous wreck in two weeks, as anybody who does hard shit knows.

That said, ASOIAF is filled with strategic wisdom. Martin know this shit, after all.
The characters play the game each in his/her style, and suffer the consequences for it. Petyr is the ultimate Machiavellian, the only one until now who has not shown a terrible character flaw.
Ned was too honest, Tyrion is too just, Cercei too proud.

 

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[The Grind]

I'm not about to get offended by a bunch of people that I don't know. Y'all don't have that power. I agree that tv is a waste of time, but I'm not a robot so I'm gonna watch a show I like during cardio and if I can actually learn something during it, dope.

Or you could do something that's 1000 times better and listen to audio books while doing cardio

 

[Ninjakid]

Said the guy writing for free on an Internet forum. If you can't set aside an hour a week to relax you are doing something seriously wrong and probably wasting energy.
Besides, if you can work 100% all the time it means you are doing easy shit. If you work hard 24/7 you will be a nervous wreck in two weeks, as anybody who does hard shit knows.

That said, ASOIAF is filled with strategic wisdom. Martin know this shit, after all.
The characters play the game each in his/her style, and suffer the consequences for it. Petyr is the ultimate Machiavellian, the only one until now who has not shown a terrible character flaw.
Ned was too honest, Tyrion is too just, Cercei too proud.

And Jon Snow knows nothing.

 

[ilrein]

I'd rather study real entrepreneurs who created real business's and made something of themselves.

Learning from a tv show is great and everything.

But making a thread about learning a couple things from a tv show...

We could make a thread about literally every show and movie in existence and say what you can learn from watching it.

But that would be a waste of time don't you think.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROFILE PICTURE?

<3

 

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[RogueInnovation]

Resting is necessary, thinking is necessary, I'm sure all this hostility isn't so necessary to communicate that one's main focus should be as pragmatic and realistic as possible.

The OP might be a bit in the clouds, true, and its hard to encourage that, sure. But I think he's just trying to talk about the games played, and the consequences that come from it.

Are there games played and consequences?

I tend to think not.
I think Game Of Thrones is a great show, and especially helpful for writers to study because of its superbly balanced slow pacing and character development, but I think the "games" are not very illustrative of real life, UNLESS interpretted as metaphors.

Examples -
Red viper: Don't depend on the other guy to satisfy your needs, he'll only satisfy you if he owns you.
Red wedding: Making a show of unconditional trust isn't enough to secure loyalty when you have people working against you
Neds Head: Underestimating someone, and offering a shameful hole to retreat into, will not silence their want to have it all swing their way, they'll do what they can.
Joffrey: If people want something you have, and they can use your absence to further themselves, and don't need you, you'll find there are little resistance to plots against you.

I don't find them particularly helpful, just intruiging.
Metaphorically, they mean, follow through on things, don't assume everything is fine, be essential.
And in a medival backdrop, it dramatises the consequences, says, "hey, you'd probably get actually stabbed, fun right?".


Its sometimes true in real life, like getting mugged on a street, or conned, or preyed upon by a colleague etc. And if you aren't flexible enough to understand that position is as powerful as skill, you can end up in positions that arent fun.

People don't operate as you would expect or like them to, so you need to just be realistic.
Realism of course isn't taking any of these fictional stories at face value, they are for entertainment, it is just learning that people might not always hold your best interests at heart and you can end up in weak positions because of it.


Its an endless, pointless cycle, and there are casualties on all sides.

Dany, just wants to eliminate it because people suffer
The hound, just accepts it because he sees its about how indispensible you are, not how fair
Varys, wants it to be in the best condition it can be for everyone, and accepts death as part of it
Little finger, wants it to be chaotic, so it can be best for him, and so he can get what he wants (vengeance, justification, vindication)

They are all selfish and short sighted in some way.
"You know nothing Jon Snow" for example, prods at Jon, to remind him the "game of thrones" is far more powerful and spiteful than he can ever superficially understand, and that peoples desires are chaotic, desperate, and as a result even HE is vulnerable and not entirely good.


There are many rationalisations we all create, and we create them blindly out of self interest, yet they hold us down, assure our ignorance.

A cautionary tale, of existing with hubris.


Its an entertaining show, and it points to a specific flaw in humanity.
But as far as realism goes, its pretty far fetched (its supposed to be).

People can surely be douches in life though thats for sure.
But you have to take real life with a much larger grain of salt, as people are complex, and more often than not impulsive.

So there is really no predictable, exploit, or right path.
Just tyranny and decency.

And in a world where a lot of people dream of being a tyrant cuz they are weak willed and pathetically lack in integrity, you have to be a decent person and do your best to help people and further our ethical integrity as a species.

In business, we better our ethics through examination of the WHY behind our fears and reactions, and by having courage to put ourselves at risk to LEARN about ways we can be better to people.


By caring about people and bettering our skills towards that end, by using integrity and patience, we can learn to benefit others and satisfy our deepest desires in a healthy and socially supportable way.

We as ethical and deeply rooted business people can reduce harm in our society and protect people, environments and freedoms from harm.


Do we do this enough?
F#ck no!!!

But its a process, and we are all a part of it, and collectively responsible for a better world to share.


Its hard to always retain a positive outlook, after every dagger lands a blow, but you just HAVE to recover and be a decent sort, because anything less than being a decent person (you don't have to be "goodie goodie") robs you of a life satisfying and full of truth and support.



I love GoT, as a show to relax to, but I feel it is a bit cynical. Real life rewards those who evolve past cynicism, but can remember that a lot of people ARE cynical and not yet unplugged from the matrix that holds them.
Be positive, but remember our potential for both growth and resistance.

There is no "game" in business, because its DEEPER than all that, HARDER than all that.
Exploits are inherently WEAK.
Strength comes from the ability to manage cynicism and not become its slave.
And take care, of yourself, others, and what we share.

 

[The Grind]

Resting is necessary, thinking is necessary, I'm sure all this hostility isn't so necessary to communicate that one's main focus should be as pragmatic and realistic as possible.

The OP might be a bit in the clouds, true, and its hard to encourage that, sure. But I think he's just trying to talk about the games played, and the consequences that come from it.

Are there games played and consequences?

I tend to think not.
I think Game Of Thrones is a great show, and especially helpful for writers to study because of its superbly balanced slow pacing and character development, but I think the "games" are not very illustrative of real life, UNLESS interpretted as metaphors.

Examples -
Red viper: Don't depend on the other guy to satisfy your needs, he'll only satisfy you if he owns you.
Red wedding: Making a show of unconditional trust isn't enough to secure loyalty when you have people working against you
Neds Head: Underestimating someone, and offering a shameful hole to retreat into, will not silence their want to have it all swing their way, they'll do what they can.
Joffrey: If people want something you have, and they can use your absence to further themselves, and don't need you, you'll find there are little resistance to plots against you.

I don't find them particularly helpful, just intruiging.
Metaphorically, they mean, follow through on things, don't assume everything is fine, be essential.
And in a medival backdrop, it dramatises the consequences, says, "hey, you'd probably get actually stabbed, fun right?".


Its sometimes true in real life, like getting mugged on a street, or conned, or preyed upon by a colleague etc. And if you aren't flexible enough to understand that position is as powerful as skill, you can end up in positions that arent fun.

People don't operate as you would expect or like them to, so you need to just be realistic.
Realism of course isn't taking any of these fictional stories at face value, they are for entertainment, it is just learning that people might not always hold your best interests at heart and you can end up in weak positions because of it.


Its an endless, pointless cycle, and there are casualties on all sides.

Dany, just wants to eliminate it because people suffer
The hound, just accepts it because he sees its about how indispensible you are, not how fair
Varys, wants it to be in the best condition it can be for everyone, and accepts death as part of it
Little finger, wants it to be chaotic, so it can be best for him, and so he can get what he wants (vengeance, justification, vindication)

They are all selfish and short sighted in some way.
"You know nothing Jon Snow" for example, prods at Jon, to remind him the "game of thrones" is far more powerful and spiteful than he can ever superficially understand, and that peoples desires are chaotic, desperate, and as a result even HE is vulnerable and not entirely good.


There are many rationalisations we all create, and we create them blindly out of self interest, yet they hold us down, assure our ignorance.

A cautionary tale, of existing with hubris.


Its an entertaining show, and it points to a specific flaw in humanity.
But as far as realism goes, its pretty far fetched (its supposed to be).

People can surely be douches in life though thats for sure.
But you have to take real life with a much larger grain of salt, as people are complex, and more often than not impulsive.

So there is really no predictable, exploit, or right path.
Just tyranny and decency.

And in a world where a lot of people dream of being a tyrant cuz they are weak willed and pathetically lack in integrity, you have to be a decent person and do your best to help people and further our ethical integrity as a species.

In business, we better our ethics through examination of the WHY behind our fears and reactions, and by having courage to put ourselves at risk to LEARN about ways we can be better to people.


By caring about people and bettering our skills towards that end, by using integrity and patience, we can learn to benefit others and satisfy our deepest desires in a healthy and socially supportable way.

We as ethical and deeply rooted business people can reduce harm in our society and protect people, environments and freedoms from harm.


Do we do this enough?
F#ck no!!!

But its a process, and we are all a part of it, and collectively responsible for a better world to share.


Its hard to always retain a positive outlook, after every dagger lands a blow, but you just HAVE to recover and be a decent sort, because anything less than being a decent person (you don't have to be "goodie goodie") robs you of a life satisfying and full of truth and support.



I love GoT, as a show to relax to, but I feel it is a bit cynical. Real life rewards those who evolve past cynicism, but can remember that a lot of people ARE cynical and not yet unplugged from the matrix that holds them.
Be positive, but remember our potential for both growth and resistance.

There is no "game" in business, because its DEEPER than all that, HARDER than all that.
Exploits are inherently WEAK.
Strength comes from the ability to manage cynicism and not become its slave.
And take care, of yourself, others, and what we share.

I love it when a veteran fastlaner badass comes to a silly thread and puts everyone to shame with an amazing post.

Makes the little puppies ( like me ) put their tail between their legs and walk away.

 

[Silverhawk851]

Lol or we could just learn from one of the thousands of massively successful entrepreneurs people actually willing to teach us...
and let entertainment be entertainment....

But w.e floats your boat brah Do you

Just remember Time is king I'm sure there are better ways to learn

 

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[Drq]

How about this:

There are at least a 2 great podcasts about business/entrepreneurship such as:
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/category/the-james-altucher-show/ - James Altucher (he has 2 podcasts I believe, look around his website)
http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast/ - Tim Ferris

Those two can replace Game of Thrones and The Strain.

Next, you want moving pictures don't you? I knew it, you're one of those (joking).

If that's the case - Mixergy.com - it costs a bit, but it's well worth it. Andrew Warner is interviewing some great entrepreneurs/businessmen and businesswomen - http://mixergy.com/interviews/ .

I know you want to relax, and my advice stands. The fact is, there are differences in each podcast/interview but generally, the path to success is the same: Find a Need/Problem -> Hustle (one way or another) -> Fail -> Hustle -> Fail -> Hustle -> Fail -> Win -> Be called Lucky and the rest is life stories which are essentially what we all watch TV for.
You won't need too much mental energy to follow along, and it will put your mind at ease. Heck, I watch/listen to some of those 2-3-4 times, sometimes to learn, other times just to have something going in the background while my thoughts wander off.

 

[constantin]

Some of the greatest life lessons about entrepreneurship and life in general for me came from the wire, one of the most greatest show that ever graced tv, other then that I dont watch tv at all except the proft and shark tank

 

[Ryan Howard]

@constantin
I've been trying to tell people about the wire for years! Definitely the greatest TV show ever hands down.

 

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[biophase]

No it is not worth the time...5 seasons * 60mins avg episode*10episodes per seasons === 3000 minutes of my life. I gave up television for good long time ago. Games of throne or whatever comes next I just don't give a F*ck and neither should you man.
Stop this fantasy world and get real.

Channel your time, energy, resources towards valuable sets of goals. Time is brief don't waste it on Game of thrones

Shit, I'm rewatching Game of Thrones again from Season 1. Every time I see these "don't waste your time" responses I always wonder if the person writing them does anything productive themselves. You don't work 20 hours a day, you just can't effectively do it. And if you tell me that you do, and you tell me that watching TV is a waste of time, something is wrong. Because if you really do work 20 hours a day, you should be making good money and if you are making good money, you should have freed up some time. And if you have free time, you would not be telling others that they are wasting their time. You see, we make money to create free time, so we can sit down and binge watch GOT for 3 days straight.

 

[kph200]

You see, we make money to create free time, so we can sit down and binge watch GOT for 3 days straight.

Alright you are rich and have lots of free time but don't tell me you got rich so you could watch television all day.

 

[biophase]

Alright you are rich and have lots of free time but don't tell me you got rich so you could watch television all day.

No, I'm tell you that I made money so I can do whatever I want to do.

 

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[JasonR]

You see, we make money to create free time, so we can sit down and binge watch GOT for 3 days straight.

This. Time > money, but without money you're a slave to a job and that 9-5.

To me, even if I made $100m but I worked 100 hours a week until 65, it wouldn't be worth it.

And yes, I binge watched GOT for the last 2 weeks as I just discovered the show.