Game Theory

It was discussed in tutorials that game theory has little relevance to video games. However,  I think that game theory, specifically ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ has some relevance to video games. The basic concept behind Prisoner’s Dilemma is that two people are put in jail for a crime. Each is put into a different cell and cannot talk to one another. They are presented with the dilemma: if both keep quiet, they’re both sentenced to one year each. If one confesses, they will be rewarded with being set free while the other prisoner is sentenced to three years. If both confess, they both are sentenced to two years. The optimal scenario is for both to stay silent. However, people/consumers aren’t rational and will generally look out for their own wellbeing first. As a result, both will choose to confess regardless of the fact that it is not the ideal decision. In a gaming context (especially multiplayer), prisoner’s dilemma or some other variation of it presents itself.

The dilemma has presented itself in Modern Warfare 2. A glitch was discovered where as soon as you were killed you could kill everyone else in the same vicinity by setting off your javelin, resulting in a gain in points. The glitch presented a dilemma, which is summarized in the diagram below [1].

(from http://www.psychologyofgames.com/tag/prisoners-dilemma/)

The player who chooses to take advantage of the glitch, when other players don’t, will dominate in the game and improve their rankings. The player who chooses to ignore the glitch will be on an uneven playing field. This is an example of the psychology of game theory in a video game context.

Game theory relates to decision-making, payoff and human behavior. The behaviors of others come in to play when interacting in a multiplayer context. Players will be faced with a set of possible choices where the consequences of each choice is made clear but the agents involved have to make their decision at the same time or without knowing how the other has or will respond. The decisions made will generally not be optimal or the most rational. This is a scenario that plays out in video games as well as other forms of games such as competitive reality shows (eg. ‘Survivor’). The link below is a clip from a UK game show representing this dilemma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Uos2fzIJ0

[1] http://www.psychologyofgames.com/tag/prisoners-dilemma/