PLAY THE BOOK

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

This book explains how deliberate practice, not innate talent, builds extraordinary ability in music, chess, sports, and everyday skills. In this world you practice identifying strong mental representations, structuring focused feedback loops, and applying purposeful training to your own goals.

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32 maps · 156 characters · 530 questions · free to try, no account needed · book links are affiliate links

Two ways to play the same book. Walk the maps and challenge the characters.

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Arrow keys to walk, Space to talk or fight. Use the on-screen controls to walk and talk. Signs hold the book's ideas; every character is a quiz.

What's inside

32 maps, 156 characters and 530 questions, all generated from the book.

MAP 01

The Gift Caverns

Explore the mystery of exceptional talent and question innate abilities

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 02

Purposeful Practice Plains

Learn the fundamentals of focused, goal-oriented training methods

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 03

Adaptability Archives

Understand how the human body and mind adapt to intensive training

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 04

Mental Representation Citadel

Build sophisticated mental models that separate experts from amateurs

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 05

Gold Standard Observatory

Examine the highest levels of deliberate practice in elite domains

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 06

Workplace Practice Workshop

Apply deliberate practice principles in professional environments

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 07

Everyday Excellence Meadows

Implement expert training methods in daily life and hobbies

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 08

Extraordinary Path Peaks

Navigate the journey from beginner to world-class performer

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 09

Natural Talent Trials

Debunk myths about innate gifts and genetic predisposition

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 10

Future Frontiers Harbor

Chart the course for applying expertise science to new domains

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 11

Chess Master's Mind Palace

Study blindfold chess as the ultimate mental representation skill

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 12

Musical Memory Chambers

Analyze how musicians develop perfect pitch and performance skills

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 13

Athletic Achievement Arena

Examine training methods of Olympic and professional athletes

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 14

London Cabbie Navigation Network

Investigate how taxi drivers develop extraordinary spatial memory

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 15

Surgeon's Precision Laboratory

Explore medical training and the development of surgical expertise

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 16

Memory Champion's Colosseum

Decode the techniques used by world memory competition winners

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 17

Comfort Zone Crossing

Learn why pushing beyond comfort zones is essential for improvement

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 18

Feedback Forest

Understand the critical role of immediate, accurate feedback in learning

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 19

Motivation Mountain

Maintain long-term commitment to intensive practice regimens

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 20

Teacher's Training Grounds

Discover how expert coaches and instructors guide student development

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 21

10,000 Hour Myth Caverns

Examine and debunk oversimplified rules about practice duration

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 22

Childhood Development Gardens

Study how future experts begin their journey in early years

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 23

Benjamin Bloom's Research Ruins

Explore landmark studies on talent development across multiple fields

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 24

Polgar Sisters Chess Kingdom

Analyze the famous chess-playing family's training methodology

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 25

Top Gun Training Skies

Learn from military pilot training programs and their effectiveness

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 26

Corporate Leadership Laboratory

Apply deliberate practice principles to business and management skills

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 27

Educational Revolution Rapids

Transform traditional learning through expertise science principles

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 28

Physics Classroom Transformation

Examine innovative teaching methods that improve student performance

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 29

Skills vs Knowledge Battlefield

Understand the crucial difference between doing and knowing

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 30

Expert Performance Research Center

Study decades of scientific investigation into human excellence

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 31

Individual Training Sanctuary

Customize practice methods for personal strengths and weaknesses

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 32

Peak Performance Summit

Integrate all principles to achieve your highest potential

1 characters · 3 questions

How the book becomes practice

Reading puts ideas in. Retrieval keeps them there. The game is the retrieval.

Walk the world of the book

32 maps, one per part of the book. Signs along the way hold its key ideas, so the walk itself is a refresher.

Battle the characters

156 characters, each a short quiz on one idea. Answer well and the map opens up; a boss guards the end of each one.

Missed ideas come back

Every question you get wrong is re-asked in rematches and boss fights until you get it right. That is the part that makes it stick.

Keep what you learn

Sign up for free and your demo progress, XP and best tower stage move to your account. Come back whenever a chapter starts to fade.

Questions

Is this the actual book?

No. This is a quiz game built from the ideas in "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise": 530 multiple-choice questions with explanations, spread over 32 maps. It works best alongside the book, which is why the page links to where you can get it.

Is it free to play?

You can play the demo on this page without an account (5 battles in the RPG and 10 questions in the tower). Sign up for free to keep going; premium worlds come with a preview and Lifetime Pro unlocks everything.

Do I need to have read the book?

It works either way. If you have read it, the game is spaced repetition for what you learned. If you have not, every question comes with an explanation, so the game is a fast tour of the main ideas.

Does my demo progress carry over?

Yes. Sign up from the game and the characters you beat, your XP and your best tower stage move to your account.

Are the book links affiliate links?

Yes. If you buy the book through one of them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the free worlds free.