Min-maxing
Etymology
From tabletop and video role-playing games, where a "min-maxer" minimizes spending on unrewarded attributes to maximize a few powerful ones. The name echoes "minimax" from von Neumann’s game theory, though the gaming sense is narrower. It now describes any optimizer who games a scoring system by ignoring what it doesn’t count.
noun · /MIN-max-ing/
The strategy of concentrating all resources on maximizing strengths while accepting glaring weaknesses.
What it names
A lopsided optimization — deliberately excelling at what’s rewarded and neglecting everything else.
Example
He min-maxed his degree, acing graded work and skipping everything that didn’t affect his transcript.
Related idea
Min-maxing pushes for the maximum on a few chosen dimensions, whereas satisficing settles for good enough across the board.