Bankruptcy
Barbarians At The Gate
Battle Of The Networks
Caveat Empire
Chicken Dilemma
- this game differs from others in that it is in one's best interest to lose. centering around the game "Chicken," game play is as follows:
- I. two or more players begin at a set distance away from a cliff
- II. all players accelerate towards the edge of the cliff on an agreed mode of transportation.
- III. the opportunity to "bail-out" is present until the edge of the cliff is reached.
- IV. bailing-out results in loss of the game.
- V. the last player to avoid sure death is the winner.
- winning this game can almost guarantee death. this type of game is most often seen among adolescent males, seeking to show their superiority to prospective mates. the best strategy for this game is not to participate.
Conscription
Coordination
Escape And Evasion
- this is a zero-sum two-player game involving an escapee and her tail. play is as follows:
- I. play begins with two players—one is trying to escape from and evade the other.
- II. the escapee wins if she is not caught
- III. the tail wins if she successfully captures her opponent.
- there is an odd twist to this game—there is no time limit. as long as her pursuers remain alive, the escapee still risks capture. on the other hand, if she is captured, the game is over. the best strategy in this game is, obviously, to be the hunter, not the hunted.
Frogs Call For Mates
The Game of Life
- this game is a rather odd one, consisting of cells on a grid which may either be "alive" or "dead." play revolves around the live cells, and is as follows:
- I. game starts with any number of cells in any condition (dead or alive).
- II. a dead cell with exactly three live neighbors becomes alive.
- III. a live cell with less than two live neighbors dies.
- IV. a live cell with more than three live neighbors dies.
- as play progresses, patterns tends to emerge. among them are static patterns (in which no transitions may be made), repeating patterns (in which the game becomes stuck in a loop), and patterns that spread across the grid.
Hawk Versus Dove
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
- this zero-sum game may be the reason we haven't blown our planet to pieces. it involves two opposing players, and game play is as follows:
- I. two players start with virtually equal destructive potential
- II. either player may attack at any time
- III. attacks are slow enough to allow the other player to become aware of them
- IV. there is no defense against an attack, although the possibility of a counterattack exists until the time of impact.
- "Gee," you may be saying to yourself, "what's this got to do with the real world?" easy—the U.S. and Soviet Union refrained from launching their nuclear arsenals because of their fears of counterattacks.
Majority Rule
Market Niche
Mutual Defense
Prisoner's Dilemma
- this game is one of the most widely pondered among game theorists. it addresses the thought process of a hypothetical prisoner as he struggles over what he should tell his interrogators. game play is as follows:
- I. two prisoners are arrested for a crime that cannot be proven in court.
- II. the prisoners are not permitted to speak to eachother.
- III. each prisoner is interrogated separately.
- IV. if both prisoners deny their guilt, both will be sent to prison for one-year terms.
- V. if one prisoner confesses and the other does not, the one that confessed is free to go, leaving the other to serve a 20-year term.
- VI. if both prisoners confess, both will serve 10-year terms.
- the real-life application of this game may take a leap of faith to see. if we look at all possible outcomes, the safe bet is always to confess. however, if you think your partner in crime may deny the charges, it would be in your best interest to confess, leaving yourself a free man.
Subsidized Small Business
Tragedy Of The Commons
Ultimatum
- this two-player noncooperative game focuses on a dispute over the division of good. play is as follows:
- I. two players wish to divide a good.
- II. one of the players proposes a way to divide the good (an ultimatum).
- III. the second player may either accept the offer, or decline.
- IV. if the offer is declined, neither player receives any of the good.
- assuming the good in dispute can be divided into an infinite number of pieces, an infinite number of Nash equilibria exist. a strategy favored by many communists is the "Fairman," in which every player makes and accepts only fair offers. this is the best example of a Nash equilibrium (neither player benefits by changing her strategy) in this game.
Video System Coordination
