a way of considering an activity, etc. that is concerned only with the number of people doing sth, things achieved, etc., not with who or what they are :
MPs were playing the numbers game as the crucial vote drew closer.
NUMBERS GAME
Meaning of NUMBERS GAME in English
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005