Game Theory Series

Welcome to the Game Theory Series! This comprehensive collection explores the mathematics of strategic decision-making, where outcomes depend not just on your actions, but on the actions of others.

Why Game Theory Matters

Whether you’re negotiating a salary, launching a product, bidding in an auction, or just playing poker with friends, game theory provides the mathematical framework for thinking strategically. Understanding game theory helps you:

• Make better strategic decisions in competitive situations
• Predict how others will respond to your actions
• Design better incentives and mechanisms
• Understand cooperation, competition, and conflict
• Apply mathematics to real-world problems in business, politics, and life

Beginner Level

Building the foundations of strategic thinking

Intermediate Level

Advanced concepts and applications

Advanced Topics

Specialized applications and deep theory

Getting Started

Each article includes:

• Clear explanations of mathematical concepts without requiring advanced prerequisites
• Visual diagrams using game trees and payoff matrices
• Real-world examples from business, politics, sports, and everyday life
• Practice problems with solutions to test your understanding
• Mermaid diagrams for visual learners

Recommended Reading Order

For Complete Beginners:

1. Start with What is Game Theory? - Foundation
2. Learn Game Theory 101 - Core concepts
3. Master Payoff Matrices - Essential tool
4. Understand Dominant Strategies - Simple decisions
5. Explore Nash Equilibrium - Key concept

Classic Games & Paradoxes:

1. The Prisoner’s Dilemma - Most famous game
2. Zero-Sum Games - Pure competition
3. Coordination Games - Alignment challenges
4. Why Rational Players Sometimes Lose - Paradoxes

Advanced Strategy:

1. Mixed Strategies - Randomization
2. Repeated Games - Cooperation
3. Backward Induction - Sequential games
4. The Ultimatum Game - Behavioral insights
5. Auction Theory - Mechanism design

For Business & Entrepreneurs:

1. The Prisoner’s Dilemma - Competition vs cooperation
2. The Tragedy of the Commons - Resource management
3. Backward Induction - Strategic planning
4. Auction Theory - Bidding strategies

For Understanding Society:

1. The Tragedy of the Commons - Environmental issues
2. Coordination Games - Social conventions
3. Repeated Games - Trust and reputation
4. The Ultimatum Game - Fairness and culture

Advanced Theory & Applications:

1. Mechanism Design - Engineering better systems
2. Evolutionary Game Theory - How strategies evolve
3. Signaling Games - Communication under asymmetric information
4. Cooperative Game Theory - Fair division and coalitions
5. Stackelberg Competition - Sequential competition
6. Voting Theory - Limits of democracy

Key Concepts Covered

Strategic Thinking:

• Players, strategies, and payoffs
• Best response analysis
• Dominant strategies
• Nash equilibrium

Classic Games:

• Prisoner’s Dilemma
• Coordination games
• Zero-sum games
• Ultimatum game

Advanced Topics:

• Mixed strategies
• Repeated games
• Backward induction
• Subgame perfect equilibrium
• Mechanism design
• Auction theory
• Evolutionary stability
• Signaling and screening
• Cooperative solutions
• Sequential competition
• Voting theory

Applications:

• Business strategy and competition
• Negotiations and bargaining
• Auctions and bidding
• Public policy and economics
• Social norms and cooperation
• Sports and poker

Mathematical Prerequisites

Most articles require only:

• Basic algebra (high school level)
• Simple probability (understanding percentages)
• Logical reasoning (no formal training needed)

Advanced topics (mixed strategies, auction theory) use:

• Expected value calculations (explained from scratch)
• Basic calculus (derivatives, but explained intuitively)

No advanced math background required! All concepts are explained from first principles.

Tools & Visualizations

This series makes heavy use of:

• Payoff matrices - Visual representation of games
• Game trees - Sequential decision structures
• Mermaid diagrams - Interactive visual learning
• Worked examples - Step-by-step solutions
• Practice problems - Test your understanding

Why I Write About Game Theory

Game theory transformed how I think about competition, cooperation, and strategy in business and life. From launching products to negotiating deals, from understanding market dynamics to designing incentive systems — game theory provides a rigorous framework for strategic thinking.

These articles combine:

• Mathematical rigor from academic game theory
• Intuitive explanations accessible to non-mathematicians
• Real-world applications from business, economics, and everyday life
• Practical insights you can apply immediately
• Visual learning through diagrams and examples

Beyond This Series

After mastering these concepts, you can explore:

• Bayesian games - Games with incomplete information and beliefs
• Algorithmic game theory - Computation, complexity, and online algorithms
• Behavioral game theory - When humans deviate from rationality
• Stochastic games - Dynamic games with random transitions
• Network games - Strategic interactions on graphs and networks
• Mean field games - Large population strategic interactions

Feedback & Discussion

Have questions about game theory? Want to suggest a topic?

Email: [email protected] GitHub: @colossus21 LinkedIn: Rafiul Alam

This series complements my other content on Psychology & Behavioral Science and Business Mathematics, exploring the mathematical foundations of strategic decision-making.