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The Joy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking
This book is a selection of the best articles from Game Theory Tuesdays, a column from the blog Mind Your Decisions. Articles from Game Theory Tuesdays have been referenced in The Freakonomics Blog, Yahoo Finance, and CNN.com. The second edition includes many streamlined explanations and incorporates suggestions from readers of the first edition. Game theory is the study of interactive decision making--that is, in situations where each person's action affects the outcome for the whole group. Game theory is a beautiful subject and this book will teach you how to understand the theory and practically implement solutions through a series of stories and the aid of over 30 illustrations. This book has two primary objectives. (1) To help you recognize strategic games, like the Prisoner's Dilemma, Bertrand Duopoly, Hotelling's Game, the Game of Chicken, and Mutually Assured Destruction. (2) To show you how to make better decisions and change the game, a powerful concept that can transform no-win situations into mutually beneficial outcomes. You'll learn how to negotiate better by making your threats credible, sometimes limiting options or burning bridges, and thinking about new ways to create better outcomes. As these goals indicate, game theory is about more than board games and gambling. It all seems so simple, and yet that definition belies the complexity of game theory. While it may only take seconds to get a sense of game theory, it takes a lifetime to appreciate and master it. This book will get you started.
155 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 16, 2020
There was a peasant carrying a heavy burden from mountains to his home everyday. One day he finally gave up and asked god to help him and give him a donkey.
God: I accept your request, only in one condition. Your neighbor also needs one, I’ll give your neighbor one too.
Peasant: Oh, shit; I don’t want it. Let it go!
This old Kurdish joke crossed my mind which tries to show the destructive nature of relative thinking and to show that we are not normally rational at Games and strategies.
This is an interesting book, which is written in a pretty engaging style; not offering sheer theories but practically trying to involve the reader in different games and practices.
Game theory is a beautiful subject and this book will teach you how to understand the theory and practically implement solutions. This book has two primary objectives.
(1) To help you recognize strategic situations.
(2) To show you how to make better decisions and change the game, a powerful concept that can transform no-win situations into mutually beneficial outcomes.
The first part of this book is all about recognizing strategic situations and seeing how incentives lead to particular outcomes. The second section of this book is all about understanding strategies to change the game to create cooperation and better outcomes for everyone.
دەڵێن کابرایەکی پیری هەژار دەبێ هەمورۆژی بە هێزی شان و پشتی کوڵێکی بار لە کێوەوە بو ماڵی دەکێشا. رۆژێک زۆر شەکەت و ماندو دەبێ و هاوار بۆ خودا دەبا و دەڵێ خودایە کەرێکم بو بنێرە هێزم نەماوە. خوداش پێی دەڵێ زۆرباشە بەڵام بە مەرجێک کە کەرێکیش بە جیرانەکەت دەدەم ئەویش هەژارە و پێویستی پێیەتی. کابرای پیریش پێی ناخۆش دەبێ و دەڵێ گووی تێ نەمهەویست!
ئەوە بەشێکی زۆر بچوک لە هەڵسوکەوتە سەیر و سەمەرە کانی بەشەرە کە ستراتیژیکانی ژیانی لە بەرامبەر جیران و خەڵکی دیکە هەڵدەسەنجێ و دەسەلمێنێت کە بیرکاری باش نین لەو کاتانە دا. ئەم پەرتووکە بە جوانی زۆرێک لەو هەڵسوکەوتە سەیر و سەمەرانەمان بۆ شێ دەکاتەوە.
March 3, 2020
I had so much fun reading this book
Wonderful introduction to game theory. I was challenged and I actually laughed out loud several times at the “a ha moments� I experienced. A very fun read that will give you some good party tricks.
Wonderful introduction to game theory. I was challenged and I actually laughed out loud several times at the “a ha moments� I experienced. A very fun read that will give you some good party tricks.
July 3, 2022
Loved it... A solid and comprehensible introduction into an otherwise overwhelming subject.
May 20, 2021
Just finished reading "The Joy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking" and, I believe, it's much more about introduction than joy. I'm giving it four stars because per se it's an okay starting point to get a basic idea about game theory. But the fact that the author tried to make it as easy for a layperson as possible seemed to be both the advantage and the curse of this book.
Even though the author provides many practical situations and examples, including from his own experiences, "The Joy of Game Theory" somehow seemed monotonous. Now, I am not an expert in any game theory related areas, but I had had the impression that the subject was to be quite captivating. Here, however, the types of games described were essentially the same (variations of the prisoner's dilemma and raising stakes games), followed by virtually the same advice every time: avoid playing the game, instead try to get others to play it. At some point it turned into a sort of a heard one, heard them all situation. Was it possible to make "The Joy of Game Theory" better by covering wider ground or digging into deeper layers? I would be inclined to think so. The way it is it's just interesting, not fascinating. Also, the book would greatly benefit from a thorough editing.
Nevertheless, considering Mr. Talwalkar's ever lucid style and the obvious love of the subject, I can imagine that people who know little to nothing about game theory will find the book useful. Those who are already familiar with the basics, may want to skip this one and find a more advanced title.
Even though the author provides many practical situations and examples, including from his own experiences, "The Joy of Game Theory" somehow seemed monotonous. Now, I am not an expert in any game theory related areas, but I had had the impression that the subject was to be quite captivating. Here, however, the types of games described were essentially the same (variations of the prisoner's dilemma and raising stakes games), followed by virtually the same advice every time: avoid playing the game, instead try to get others to play it. At some point it turned into a sort of a heard one, heard them all situation. Was it possible to make "The Joy of Game Theory" better by covering wider ground or digging into deeper layers? I would be inclined to think so. The way it is it's just interesting, not fascinating. Also, the book would greatly benefit from a thorough editing.
Nevertheless, considering Mr. Talwalkar's ever lucid style and the obvious love of the subject, I can imagine that people who know little to nothing about game theory will find the book useful. Those who are already familiar with the basics, may want to skip this one and find a more advanced title.
October 15, 2022
Includes various business and general strategies with practical examples like those we see in the movie Beautiful Mind.
April 22, 2020
This is a good read if you don’t know anything about game theory. The content is fairly anecdotal and draws from various case studies. At the end of each chapter, there are links to follow through.
But I found the content a bit haphazardly structured. The chapters didn’t seem to have continuity and often times probably not in the right section of the book.
Nevertheless it is a short read and it definitely piqued my interest.
But I found the content a bit haphazardly structured. The chapters didn’t seem to have continuity and often times probably not in the right section of the book.
Nevertheless it is a short read and it definitely piqued my interest.
May 21, 2020
Good intro to game theory, outlining best strategies based on your opponent’s or ‘adversary’s decisions. Real world examples provided were interesting but simple and doesn’t really take into account all the biases and irrationalities humans are susceptible to. Hence why behavioral economics has emerged as an important field.
September 17, 2024
The Joy of Game Theory is a collection of short newspaper articles focused on Game Theory. It's a short book, and I finished it in under two hours.
I don't remember buying this book, but it was great.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
I don't remember buying this book, but it was great.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
January 11, 2021
Awesome book to start with. Bunch of daily life examples explaining how one decision influences other.
January 24, 2021
A nice fun time short read. Few chapters are worth but if you are interested in serious reading then this is not the game theory book.
April 30, 2021
Although some parts were kind of obvious, a very nice introduction to game theory without diving deep into math.
February 21, 2020
Great Read
Great intro into the main concepts of game theory. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others as a starting point.
Great intro into the main concepts of game theory. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others as a starting point.
September 26, 2020
Pretty ok introduction to game theory. It is all very surface level and not detailed. The book is mainly “neat� cases of where game theory could be considered. The concepts of game theory could be developed a bit more, this read was a bit underwhelming
July 31, 2022
Presh Talwalkar's website provides puzzles to practice lateral and strategic thinking.
This book provides ways to gain that lateral and strategic thinking.
The Joy of Game Theory provides introductory and foundational material about the principles of game theory and how it has been applied in real life situations, from paradoxes to game shows to advertisement campaigns. The book verbally justifies game theory principles as well as using mathematical models to illustrate them and put them into practice.
I think the title of the book was pretty accurate; this book was intended to serve as an introduction to game theory. The most fundamental of principles were inserted into this book, making it a decent book for beginners who want to comprehend the foundations of game theory and a decent book to captivate beginners into the realm of strategic thinking and analysis.
Such a purpose may explain why this book might leave audiences with more questions. Although this served as a starting point for studying game theory, I do not believe it is the greatest reference for a thorough knowledge about the discipline. It was fascinating to see game theory principles being applied in real life, but I think that Talwalkar needed to apply a better balance between the practical content and the conceptual content. What I mean is that he provided many relevant examples of game theory principles' applications, but he did not get very deep into the game theory principles themselves. (I don't necessarily think it is his fault, since this was meant to be an introductory course to game theory, not some advanced college course.) I think it would have been nice if he dedicated an entire chapter or section to the mathematical modelling that can be extensively used in game theory, because I did not think he introduced the modeling very well. The models were still understandable, but I think it would have been helpful if he highlighted the importance and methodology behind the models he used in a single section---maybe he could have conducted an analysis of them. I think doing this would have more strongly emphasized the "joy of game theory," since he can fuse strategic modeling and mathematical clarity together in a way that can show how elegant game theory can be.
Overall, though, this book was not a bad effort. I commend Talwalkar's work, both on his website, his Youtube channel, and this book. His curious, observant, and strategic mind is something worth discovering. This book has given me a newfound interest in game theory the same way Eats, Shoots and Leaves gave me a stronger interest in grammar.
This book provides ways to gain that lateral and strategic thinking.
The Joy of Game Theory provides introductory and foundational material about the principles of game theory and how it has been applied in real life situations, from paradoxes to game shows to advertisement campaigns. The book verbally justifies game theory principles as well as using mathematical models to illustrate them and put them into practice.
I think the title of the book was pretty accurate; this book was intended to serve as an introduction to game theory. The most fundamental of principles were inserted into this book, making it a decent book for beginners who want to comprehend the foundations of game theory and a decent book to captivate beginners into the realm of strategic thinking and analysis.
Such a purpose may explain why this book might leave audiences with more questions. Although this served as a starting point for studying game theory, I do not believe it is the greatest reference for a thorough knowledge about the discipline. It was fascinating to see game theory principles being applied in real life, but I think that Talwalkar needed to apply a better balance between the practical content and the conceptual content. What I mean is that he provided many relevant examples of game theory principles' applications, but he did not get very deep into the game theory principles themselves. (I don't necessarily think it is his fault, since this was meant to be an introductory course to game theory, not some advanced college course.) I think it would have been nice if he dedicated an entire chapter or section to the mathematical modelling that can be extensively used in game theory, because I did not think he introduced the modeling very well. The models were still understandable, but I think it would have been helpful if he highlighted the importance and methodology behind the models he used in a single section---maybe he could have conducted an analysis of them. I think doing this would have more strongly emphasized the "joy of game theory," since he can fuse strategic modeling and mathematical clarity together in a way that can show how elegant game theory can be.
Overall, though, this book was not a bad effort. I commend Talwalkar's work, both on his website, his Youtube channel, and this book. His curious, observant, and strategic mind is something worth discovering. This book has given me a newfound interest in game theory the same way Eats, Shoots and Leaves gave me a stronger interest in grammar.
May 7, 2021
The author is an economics and mathematics graduate from Stanford University. He has a YouTube channel entitled “Mind Your Decisions� where he poses interesting math problems. That is where I learned of this book. I knew nothing of Game Theory and naively thought it dealt with programming algorithms � something that would interest me. Instead, Game Theory is a study in economics and the strategies companies/people use when making decisions. The best example from the book is the Early Bird Check-In process for Southwest Airlines. I usually fly that airline, so this resonated with me. Southwest does not have assigned seating. They board you in the order of check in, so the earlier one arrives, the more seats that are available to that passenger. Then Southwest started offering 24-hour check in for a small fee. Anyone who paid this fee was automatically checked in 24 hours before takeoff. Initially, it guaranteed a passenger near head of the line privileges since no one can technically check in before 24 hours. But soon, everyone was opting for the Early Bird Check-In and each spot in line was no longer secure since half the plane all checked in at the same time. In essence, what was once considered a small price to pay for the best seats on the plane morphed into a fee that everyone must pay or risk getting the worst seat on the plane. This is one example that Talwalkar and the industry refer to as a Prisoner’s Dilemma. If all the passengers could secretly agree to not pay the Early Bird Check-In, no one would lose any money, and everyone would have equal access to potentially good seating. But as soon as one passenger defects, pays the fee, and gets a good seat, the next passenger will defect and so on until everyone pays the fee and no one is guaranteed a good seat. The passengers face the prisoner’s dilemma while the airline plays the role of warden. The book is a good introductory to Game Theory, but having read it, I’ve decided it is not my topic. I will stick to Presh Talwalkar’s book of Math Puzzles which I am currently working my way through.
August 30, 2016
Come probabilmente sapete, sono un affezionato lettore sia del blog di Presh Talwalkar che dei suoi ebook. Stavolta la sua ultima fatica non è sui quizzini ma parla di teoria dei giochi. Non è in effetti una sorpresa: avendo lui studiato non solo matematica ma anche economia, è naturale che scriva su questi temi: e d'altra parte la teoria dei giochi è a metà strada tra matematica ed economia sin dai tempi di Von Neumann e Morgenstern, il che ha dei vantaggi perché le persone hanno punti di vista diversi e degli svantaggi perché i due gruppi spesso non si capiscono per nulla. Aggiungiamo poi che occorre anche pensare alla psicologia per capire i risultati, e potete immaginare il dramma.
Il libro di Talkalwar è un'introduzione abbastanza particolare al tema: invece che intimidire il lettore con formule su formule e concetti teorici difficili da riconoscere in pratica, l'autore preferisce fare alla rovescia. Nel testo ci sono moltissimi esempi reali, nel senso che sono proprio tratti dagli articoli di quotidiani e periodici: a partire da questi viene costruita la teoria su cui si basano, ricavando in pratica i risultati teorici come l'equilibrio di Nash, e mostrando l'ubiquità di temi classici come il dilemma del prigioniero e il gioco dell'escalation. Inoltre Talwalkar spiega in dettaglio, con il suo usuale stile molto chiaro, la cornice in cui si trovano questi esempi, e cosa potrebbe succedere se qualche attore decidesse all'improvviso di rompere le regole del gioco. (Vi ricordate che avevo accennato al fatto che nella teoria dei giochi entra anche la psicologia?)
In definitiva, raccomando caldamente il libro a chi voglia farsi un'idea della teoria dei giochi senza essere costretto a sorbirsi troppa teoria; ma penso che anche chi conosce già i suoi fondamenti trarrà profitto dalla scelta dei suoi esempi.
Il libro di Talkalwar è un'introduzione abbastanza particolare al tema: invece che intimidire il lettore con formule su formule e concetti teorici difficili da riconoscere in pratica, l'autore preferisce fare alla rovescia. Nel testo ci sono moltissimi esempi reali, nel senso che sono proprio tratti dagli articoli di quotidiani e periodici: a partire da questi viene costruita la teoria su cui si basano, ricavando in pratica i risultati teorici come l'equilibrio di Nash, e mostrando l'ubiquità di temi classici come il dilemma del prigioniero e il gioco dell'escalation. Inoltre Talwalkar spiega in dettaglio, con il suo usuale stile molto chiaro, la cornice in cui si trovano questi esempi, e cosa potrebbe succedere se qualche attore decidesse all'improvviso di rompere le regole del gioco. (Vi ricordate che avevo accennato al fatto che nella teoria dei giochi entra anche la psicologia?)
In definitiva, raccomando caldamente il libro a chi voglia farsi un'idea della teoria dei giochi senza essere costretto a sorbirsi troppa teoria; ma penso che anche chi conosce già i suoi fondamenti trarrà profitto dalla scelta dei suoi esempi.
September 17, 2022
In questo libro ci sono moltissimi esempi, ma simili tra loro: ci sono due giocatori (che possono essere aziende, persone, investitori, ecc..) con due scelte possibili per entrambi.
Per analizzare i vari esempi, si utilizza una matrice dove le righe corrispondono alle scelte del giocatore 1 e le colonne alle scelte del giocatore 2. Se il giocatore 1 ha una scelta (prima o seconda riga) che gli conviene sia rispetto alle scelte del giocatore 2(prima o seconda colonne), allora è presente una strategia dominante.
L'equilibrio di Nash (EN) è una combinazione di strategie in cui ciascun giocatore effettua la strategia dominante sulla base dalle aspettative di scelta dell'altro giocatore. L’equilibrio di Nash non è necessariamente l’ottimo sociale.
Nel caso di giochi dove le scelte dei giocatori sono in sequenza si usa l’albero delle decisioni. I nodi sono i giocatori. Le connessioni sono le loro scelte. Si valutano tutte le possibilità . Il primo che scelta dovrebbe compiere? Si parte dal basso dell'albero e si vedono le scelte che farebbe il giocatore 2. Una volta capite quelle, guardando la parte alta dell'albero, il giocatore 1 sa quale scelta è meglio per lui.
Nel libro si analizzano le strategie razionali che però non sono sempre vincenti perché a volte i giocatori non scelgono in modo razionale.
Gli esempi che mi sono rimasti più impressi:
- Due giocatori sono stazioni di servizio che si devono posizionare su una retta. L’EN è posizionarsi entrambi al centro.
- Due negozi abbassano i prezzi per competere sul mercato. L’EN è scegliere il prezzo più basso possibile. Se si mettessero d’accordo potrebbero mantenere il prezzo più alto.
- La bionda al bar (tratto dal film Beautiful Mind). NE: ce ne sono molti, quando un giocatore sceglie la bionda e gli altri le brune.
- Il dilemma del prigioniero: la scelta egoista è quella di confessare (NE), ma se potessero collaborare gli converrebbe stare zitti.
- Il gioco del pollo: qui non c'è strategia dominante. è importante risultare credibile.
- Il gioco dell'ultimatum: due giocatori interagiscono al fine di decidere come dividere una somma di denaro che viene data loro dagli sperimentatori.
- La distruzione mutua assicurata: lanciare una bomba atomica o attendere?
- Paradosso di Braess: limitare la scelta sui percorsi per raggiungere una destinazione può essere meglio per tutti. C'è un NE. Se si aggiunge una strada, c’� una strategia dominante che finisce per penalizzare tutti.
La teoria invece è ridotta all’osso.
Per analizzare i vari esempi, si utilizza una matrice dove le righe corrispondono alle scelte del giocatore 1 e le colonne alle scelte del giocatore 2. Se il giocatore 1 ha una scelta (prima o seconda riga) che gli conviene sia rispetto alle scelte del giocatore 2(prima o seconda colonne), allora è presente una strategia dominante.
L'equilibrio di Nash (EN) è una combinazione di strategie in cui ciascun giocatore effettua la strategia dominante sulla base dalle aspettative di scelta dell'altro giocatore. L’equilibrio di Nash non è necessariamente l’ottimo sociale.
Nel caso di giochi dove le scelte dei giocatori sono in sequenza si usa l’albero delle decisioni. I nodi sono i giocatori. Le connessioni sono le loro scelte. Si valutano tutte le possibilità . Il primo che scelta dovrebbe compiere? Si parte dal basso dell'albero e si vedono le scelte che farebbe il giocatore 2. Una volta capite quelle, guardando la parte alta dell'albero, il giocatore 1 sa quale scelta è meglio per lui.
Nel libro si analizzano le strategie razionali che però non sono sempre vincenti perché a volte i giocatori non scelgono in modo razionale.
Gli esempi che mi sono rimasti più impressi:
- Due giocatori sono stazioni di servizio che si devono posizionare su una retta. L’EN è posizionarsi entrambi al centro.
- Due negozi abbassano i prezzi per competere sul mercato. L’EN è scegliere il prezzo più basso possibile. Se si mettessero d’accordo potrebbero mantenere il prezzo più alto.
- La bionda al bar (tratto dal film Beautiful Mind). NE: ce ne sono molti, quando un giocatore sceglie la bionda e gli altri le brune.
- Il dilemma del prigioniero: la scelta egoista è quella di confessare (NE), ma se potessero collaborare gli converrebbe stare zitti.
- Il gioco del pollo: qui non c'è strategia dominante. è importante risultare credibile.
- Il gioco dell'ultimatum: due giocatori interagiscono al fine di decidere come dividere una somma di denaro che viene data loro dagli sperimentatori.
- La distruzione mutua assicurata: lanciare una bomba atomica o attendere?
- Paradosso di Braess: limitare la scelta sui percorsi per raggiungere una destinazione può essere meglio per tutti. C'è un NE. Se si aggiunge una strada, c’� una strategia dominante che finisce per penalizzare tutti.
La teoria invece è ridotta all’osso.
February 19, 2021
Everyone should be familiar with the concepts of Game Theory as we make decisions daily. This book helps someone entirely new to this topic gain a lot of understanding.
This book discusses following topics:
1. Hotelling's game-why competing co-locates even though it's bad for consumer
2. Dominated and Dominant strategies, focal points for coordination
3. The Talmud answer for splitting resources fairly
4. Nash equilibrium and the Prisoner's dilemma in various scenarios like the Casino, Southwest airlines, honest pricing, golden balls TV show
5. How can we change the game from being played to writing the rules ourselves? Creating incentives, burning bridges, being immovable and inflexible
6. The Braess paradox for traffic, The leader's dilemma, Market unraveling
7. How waiting in line, wearing high heels are all wasteful games we've to play
8. How jealousy can turn a dominated strategy into a dominant one and reduce pay-offs, with multiple examples of how people shoot themselves in the foot by thinking relatively instead of absolutely
This book discusses following topics:
1. Hotelling's game-why competing co-locates even though it's bad for consumer
2. Dominated and Dominant strategies, focal points for coordination
3. The Talmud answer for splitting resources fairly
4. Nash equilibrium and the Prisoner's dilemma in various scenarios like the Casino, Southwest airlines, honest pricing, golden balls TV show
5. How can we change the game from being played to writing the rules ourselves? Creating incentives, burning bridges, being immovable and inflexible
6. The Braess paradox for traffic, The leader's dilemma, Market unraveling
7. How waiting in line, wearing high heels are all wasteful games we've to play
8. How jealousy can turn a dominated strategy into a dominant one and reduce pay-offs, with multiple examples of how people shoot themselves in the foot by thinking relatively instead of absolutely
October 13, 2019
I started following Presh on his Youtube channel first, where he would post intuitive questions that generally have their solutions rooted in basic principles of Mathematics.
This book is a basic introduction to Game Theory and the different kinds of topics discussed are Bertrand Duopoly, Nash Equilibrium, Dominant Strategies, Games -MAD, Sequential and Simultaneous, etc. While it was a good reminder of how these topics come into play in our daily lives, I felt that for someone who has read or studied even little Game Theory, this book might have hardly any huge takeaway. Though for such people, in the book's conclusion, he provides a list of books that can quench the thirst for more complicated theories.
This book is a basic introduction to Game Theory and the different kinds of topics discussed are Bertrand Duopoly, Nash Equilibrium, Dominant Strategies, Games -MAD, Sequential and Simultaneous, etc. While it was a good reminder of how these topics come into play in our daily lives, I felt that for someone who has read or studied even little Game Theory, this book might have hardly any huge takeaway. Though for such people, in the book's conclusion, he provides a list of books that can quench the thirst for more complicated theories.
December 7, 2022
Great intro to the subject of Game Theory. It often left me wanting more details, more application examples. Still, I recognize that this book is only meant as an intro and it does a very good job of introducing some of the basics of game theory. This is written for everyone, with little to no math to complicate the concepts. It also has an excellent list of addition reading resources one can pursue on the subject. I am giving this book 4 stars and not 5 simply because this is a weighty subject and this intro book is a bit light for it. It's a very short book, like a few good Medium articles stitched together. Personally I perfer a more detailed treatise as an intro to this interesting subject.
December 28, 2020
Good introduction . Super simple to read
Anyone with no prior experience can follow along this book and understand it. The author has a very simple style of writing which is easy to comprehend and follow along . The concepts are easy to understand and does develop an appreciation for the subject and leave the reader wanting to learn more which speaks a lot about the author . I want to further read more books from this author . At some times I do think that the author could have covered smaller number of things and gone a little more in depth . Many of the topics I felt I want to know more and understand better . Overall highly recommended.
Anyone with no prior experience can follow along this book and understand it. The author has a very simple style of writing which is easy to comprehend and follow along . The concepts are easy to understand and does develop an appreciation for the subject and leave the reader wanting to learn more which speaks a lot about the author . I want to further read more books from this author . At some times I do think that the author could have covered smaller number of things and gone a little more in depth . Many of the topics I felt I want to know more and understand better . Overall highly recommended.
March 24, 2025
Some books you don't often read again- but when you are reading them, you pay them fucking attention. I started this book back in 2024 and I read it slow, watched videos on it to the point that majority of the stuff in the book is ingrained. It got a little repetitive at the last page (not last 50, more like last 10) but it was still a book I will recommend to anyone interested in game theory and a beginner. He was even nice enough to give a list of further reading with different contexts in mind like business, academic, etc. The book is small (relatively) yet dense, and at the same time easy to understand. Definitely suggest it!
January 5, 2024
A short review for a short book.
This self-published book by professor Persh Talwalkar is a simple and engaging introduction into game theory. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to start their dive into the topic (or refresh their memory of a class they took many years ago in undergrad).
The writing is palatable and the examples are engaging, but there’s nothing really here besides examples and explanation. It’s basically a consolidated textbook.
It does make for fun, light reading though! 4/5.
This self-published book by professor Persh Talwalkar is a simple and engaging introduction into game theory. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to start their dive into the topic (or refresh their memory of a class they took many years ago in undergrad).
The writing is palatable and the examples are engaging, but there’s nothing really here besides examples and explanation. It’s basically a consolidated textbook.
It does make for fun, light reading though! 4/5.
January 28, 2025
Arrow's impossibility theorem is correct—it is impossible to please everyone. Most people prefer an introduction with less focus on math, but I would have preferred a more systematic approach to introducing such concepts. The examples had clear day-to-day relevance but felt more like an enumeration of different scenarios through the lens of game theory.
If Talwalker had included some techniques to calculate the optimal strategy given a game theory matrix, I would have had something tangible rather than just adding jargon to common sense.
Nevertheless, it is an interesting read.
If Talwalker had included some techniques to calculate the optimal strategy given a game theory matrix, I would have had something tangible rather than just adding jargon to common sense.
Nevertheless, it is an interesting read.
November 20, 2018
I've been ON and OFF searching for enjoyable reads on Game Theory, the past few months. My search didn't go to waste as I came across excellent books on Game Theory, but they are blended with so much Math and that kills time to interpret (am a nerd myself, Math doesn't tense me xD).
Anyway, this book is a spectacular recommend by Amazon.in as I was going through my Kindle Unlimited Book recommendations.
The author has introduced several concepts that I've learnt in my MBA like finding an optimal business location, Prisoner's Dilemma, Nash Equilibrium, The Dollar Auction etc. This book made relearning them fun in a very practical way. Made me regret my decision to not pick Game Theory during my second year.
Recommended, Recommended, Recommended!!!
Anyway, this book is a spectacular recommend by Amazon.in as I was going through my Kindle Unlimited Book recommendations.
The author has introduced several concepts that I've learnt in my MBA like finding an optimal business location, Prisoner's Dilemma, Nash Equilibrium, The Dollar Auction etc. This book made relearning them fun in a very practical way. Made me regret my decision to not pick Game Theory during my second year.
Recommended, Recommended, Recommended!!!
February 9, 2020
5 stars because this is a concise, well-written, and readable introduction to game theory. The examples used to convey the concepts of game theory are relatable and show how game theory can be applied to virtually everything. I really enjoyed thinking about the strategies behind and value of (or lack thereof) things like game shows and waiting in line. Recommend for anyone who has no background in economics and is interested in learning more about it.
September 23, 2020
Definitely worth a read to get a quick rundown of the topic. I feel confident I could now navigate more detailed study after reading. However, the book really needed a good editor before it hit the shelf. Much of it was repetitive and sloppily written. Many examples/chapters just kind of fizzled out without a good summary, conclusion or discussion. It might have been better if some of the chapters were consolidated and rounded out with more discussion.
January 31, 2022
A friendly introduction to Theory. The language is casual and easy to follow.
Talwalkar teaches you some key concepts of game theory, including Nash equilibrium, coordination games, escalation games dominant and dominated decision.
With this knowledge you are encouraged to apply these concepts to decisions you may face in life. If the game you are playing is not fair, try to change the game to make it so.
At the end, Talkawar provides a book list for further reading.
Talwalkar teaches you some key concepts of game theory, including Nash equilibrium, coordination games, escalation games dominant and dominated decision.
With this knowledge you are encouraged to apply these concepts to decisions you may face in life. If the game you are playing is not fair, try to change the game to make it so.
At the end, Talkawar provides a book list for further reading.
February 16, 2022
Książka tłumaczy podstawy teorri gier poprzez liczne przykłady. Przykłady są raczej krótkie i jest ich mnóstwo przez co można poczuć, że brakuje w tej książce trochę głębi. Po przeczytaniu ciężko też stwierdzić czego się jeszcze nie wie, bo w książce brakuje struktury. Jednak jako książka wprowadzającą, wydaje się że spisuje się dobrze, bo w krótkim czasie można stwierdzić czy teoria gier nas interesuje czy nie.
September 23, 2019
Want to know why petrol pumps are clustered but not evenly distributed? Or, how price matching techniques actually keeps the market price high? How can you reduce the probability of road accidents using common sense(focal points)?
Welcome to the beautiful world of Game Theory. Learn how can we improve daily decisions, without caring much about formulas or mathematical equations.
Welcome to the beautiful world of Game Theory. Learn how can we improve daily decisions, without caring much about formulas or mathematical equations.
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