[Game Theory as Art]
Game theory (a discipline that has been around since the early 1900’s) is firmly planted in both mathematics and human behavior. (Wikipedia) Contributors to game theory use fictitious case studies to create models. One classic game theory model is the “prisoner’s dilemma.” Wikipedia describes the “prisoner’s dilemma” like this:
“Two suspects A, B are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and having separated both prisoners, visit each of them and offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution… against the other and the other remains silent, the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence and the betrayer goes free. If both stay silent, the police can only give both prisoners 6 months for a minor charge. If both betray each other, they receive a 2-year sentence each.” (Wikipedia)
The “prisoner’s dilemma” model is really about getting at the core of trust and human cooperation. This model and other game theory principles find their way into video games. This informed use of theory puts video games into a position to comment about human behavior. I am reminded of an online multi-player game released in the 1990’s called Subspace. In Subspace players controlled spaceships and captured flags to earn points. The goal of the game was to get the highest score. However players were allowed to join or leave teams at any point during the game. Joining a team became a more effective way for an individual to gain points. Joining a team also helped others gain points more effectively (which was not in the best interest for the individual.) The game became an interesting dance of players joining and leaving teams. Some players formed loyalties so all benefited in the long run. Others joined and left teams as it best served them in any given round. Whether it was intentional or not Subspace started to mimic real-life situations. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the formation of Subspace teams and the behavior seen in corporations in free societies. Games like Subspace are now fueling discourses about human behavior in some circles.
Game theory (a discipline that has been around since the early 1900’s) is firmly planted in both mathematics and human behavior. (Wikipedia) Contributors to game theory use fictitious case studies to create models. One classic game theory model is the “prisoner’s dilemma.” Wikipedia describes the “prisoner’s dilemma” like this:
“Two suspects A, B are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and having separated both prisoners, visit each of them and offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution… against the other and the other remains silent, the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence and the betrayer goes free. If both stay silent, the police can only give both prisoners 6 months for a minor charge. If both betray each other, they receive a 2-year sentence each.” (Wikipedia)
The “prisoner’s dilemma” model is really about getting at the core of trust and human cooperation. This model and other game theory principles find their way into video games. This informed use of theory puts video games into a position to comment about human behavior. I am reminded of an online multi-player game released in the 1990’s called Subspace. In Subspace players controlled spaceships and captured flags to earn points. The goal of the game was to get the highest score. However players were allowed to join or leave teams at any point during the game. Joining a team became a more effective way for an individual to gain points. Joining a team also helped others gain points more effectively (which was not in the best interest for the individual.) The game became an interesting dance of players joining and leaving teams. Some players formed loyalties so all benefited in the long run. Others joined and left teams as it best served them in any given round. Whether it was intentional or not Subspace started to mimic real-life situations. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the formation of Subspace teams and the behavior seen in corporations in free societies. Games like Subspace are now fueling discourses about human behavior in some circles.
posted by Brian Huntley at 3:18 PM
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