You’ve (Likely) Been Playing The Game of Life Wrong

This Veritasium video dives into power laws and how they upend our intuitions: from the St. Petersburg paradox and why rare outliers dominate averages, to fractals and self-organized criticality in sandpiles, magnetism and forest fires.

Along the way you’ll learn why controlled burns curb mega-blazes, how earthquake forecasts hinge on critical systems, and why many businesses owe their success to power-law dynamics. Sponsored by NordVPN, the video even includes interactive simulations so you can play with these concepts firsthand—and invites you to ask: are you playing “Normal” or embracing a power-law world?

Watch on YouTube