Game Theory

Knowledge Center

What is Game Theory?

Game Theory is a special branch of mathematics which has been developed for studying decision-making in complex circumstances. Game theory tries to predict outcomes based on interactive models in which the decisions of each party affect the decisions of the other parties. The meaning of "Game" here is: a move by one player will result in moves by others. The idea historically dates back to the Talmud and Sun Tzu's writings. However, the contemporary codification is attributed to John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. They published the Theory of Games and Economic Behavior in 1944. In the early 1950s, John Nash generalized their results and provided the basis of the modern field of Game Theory. A rapid rise in theoretical developments led to the founding of the first academic magazine devoted to the field by Oskar Morgenstern in 1972. Few corporations nowadays think about their strategy without adding some game theory models or game elements into their strategy process.

Game theory can be defined as the study of how people interact and make decisions. This broad definition applies to most of the social sciences, but game theory applies mathematical models to this interaction under the assumption that each person's behavior impacts the well-being of all other participants in the game. These models are often quite simplified abstractions of real-world interactions. While many game theorists certainly enjoy playing games, a "game" is an abstract representation of many serious situations and has a serious purpose.

Usage of Game Theory. Applications

• Preparing business negotiations.
• Analyzing future market conditions.
• Strategic decision-making.
• Assess the viability of a new venture, business model, program, project, product, service or technology.

Assumptions in Game Theory

A major issue with game theory is: it is necessary to make assumptions. Any model of the real world must make assumptions that simplify the reality, because the real world is too complex to analyze with any precision. There is a constant tradeoff between realism and the technical capability to solve problems. Even if one could write down a model that accurately describes how people make decisions in general, no amount of computers would be able to calculate it.

What assumptions are made normally? The usual assumptions are:

• Rationality. People take whatever actions are likely to make them more happy. And they know what makes them happy.
• Common knowledge. We know that everyone is trying to make himself as happy as possible, potentially at our expense.

These assumptions take many mathematical forms, from very strong (and likely unrealistic) towards much weaker forms in the study of behavioral game theory.

Experimental economics examines the validity of these assumptions by seeing how real people act in controlled environments.

Example of Game Theory

The most widely known example of game theory is probably the Prisoner's Dilemma: A zero-sum game cooperation game that got its name from the following hypothetical situation: imagine two criminals arrested under the suspicion of having committed a crime together. However, the police does not have sufficient proof to have them convicted. The two prisoners are being isolated from each other, and the police offers each of them a deal: the person that offers evidence against the other one will be freed. If none of them accepts the offer, they are in fact cooperating against the police, and both of them will get only a small punishment because of lack of proof. They will both win. However, if one person betrays the other, by confessing to the police, he will gain more, since he is freed. The one who remained silent, on the other hand, will receive the full punishment, since he did not help the police, and there is sufficient proof. If both betray, both will be punished, but less severely than if they had refused to talk. The dilemma resides in the fact that each prisoner has a choice between only two options. But they can not make a good decision, without knowing what the other person will do.

Forum Forum discussions about Game Theory. Game Theory vs. SWOT Analysis in the Strategy Process A major advantage of Game Theory over SWOT analysis when preparing a business strategy is the possibility of INTERACTION between your own firm and other firms. Reactions of competitors on a potential... 12   Game Theory and Oligopolistic Competition Game theory can be used to analyze decision-making process of firms in oligopolistic competition. When there are few firms in a market, it is easy for each firm to guess (predict) what the other firms... 9   🔥 Gamification in Business and Management Have you ever wondered why some games such as Fortnite, PUBG, Clash of Clans are so much engaging (and also addictive) that it just needs a person to start the game and forget everything else? This i... 8   1 comments Types of Game Theory Are there different types of game theory? If yes, what are they and how one can we use them?... 7   2 comments What are the Uses of Game Theory? List of Usages According to Luis Garicano (Professor Economics and Strategy) Game Theory is not particular useful to analyze business problems in an exact, numerical way. Rather it is useful to get insight in the ... 6   Using Game Theory for Making Investments How can we use Game Theory in making investment decisions? How can it be useful in this?... 5   Can Game Theory deal with Bounded Rationality? A key assumption of Game Theory, as mentioned in the article, is rationality. In reality of course individuals and companies may differ from each other in terms of how effectively they can observe a ... 5   1 comments What is Dominance Theory? Can anybody explain to me the concepts of dominance theory vs. the prisoners dilemma?... 4   1 comments Shapley Value Hi, I have the following exercise and I am not sure about the calculation, if you could help me out, that would be awesome. Consider the following characteristic function game: N = {1, 2, 3} and v({... 3   1 comments Start a new topic about Game Theory Sign up for free

Courses about Game Theory. Beginners Course Advanced Course Course for Experts

Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about Game Theory. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. 🥇 Game Theory in Business Issue #46 of S+B has an interview with Prof. Nalebuff, well known for bringing game theory into the realm of business. According to N. there are 2 reasons why extending game theory to business require... 32   1 comments 🥈 Game Theory Cases in Strategy? Though I have heard of game theory being used in a few particular and special cases (e.g. the auctioning of 3G cellphone licenses) I have not seen anything of it being used in general strategy or busi... 11   3 comments 🥉 Is Business Strategy a Non-Zero-Sum Game? I found that a ZERO-SUM GAME is a game with a clear winner and one or more clear losers. The more outcomes or results one player receives, the fewer outcomes or results are available for the other pla... 6   7 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about Game Theory. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Game Theory. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Co-opetition, PARTS and Changing the Strategic Game Business Strategy, Innovation Strategy Comprehensive presentation about the concept of co-opetition based on Brandenburger and Nalebuff (1998), including the f... Decisions and Games Negotiation Analysis Paper by James K, Sebenius. Conceptually located between decision analysis and game theory, the emergent field of "negot... Introduction to Simulation: Definition, Terminology and Process Steps Simulation, Complex Systems Presentation about Simulation that includes the following sections: 1. Definition of Simulation 2. Applications of Sim...

Tools Useful tools regarding Game Theory. News Videos Presentations   Books Academic More

Compare with: Business Simulation  |  System Dynamics  |  Chaos Theory  |  Benchmarking  |  Strategic Risk Management  |  Brainstorming  |  Six Thinking Hats  |  Force Field Analysis  |  Exponential Smoothing  |  Scenario Planning  |  Delphi Method  |  Analogical Strategic Reasoning  |  Dialectical Inquiry  |  Theory of Constraints  |  Operations Research  |  The Value Net, Co-opetition

Return to Management Hub: Decision-making & Valuation  |  Finance & Investing  |  Strategy & Innovation  |  Supply Chain & Quality

More Management Methods, Models and Theory