List of games in game theory

Updated on Oct 02, 2024

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Game theory studies strategic interaction between individuals in situations called games. Classes of these games have been given names. This is a list of the most commonly studied games

Explanation of features

Games can have several features, a few of the most common are listed here.

Number of players: Each person who makes a choice in a game or who receives a payoff from the outcome of those choices is a player.

Strategies per player: In a game each player chooses from a set of possible actions, known as pure strategies. If the number is the same for all players, it is listed here.

Number of pure strategy Nash equilibria: A Nash equilibrium is a set of strategies which represents mutual best responses to the other strategies. In other words, if every player is playing their part of a Nash equilibrium, no player has an incentive to unilaterally change his or her strategy. Considering only situations where players play a single strategy without randomizing (a pure strategy) a game can have any number of Nash equilibria.

Sequential game: A game is sequential if one player performs her/his actions after another player; otherwise, the game is a simultaneous move game.

Perfect information: A game has perfect information if it is a sequential game and every player knows the strategies chosen by the players who preceded them.

Constant sum: A game is constant sum if the sum of the payoffs to every player are the same for every single set of strategies. In these games one player gains if and only if another player loses. A constant sum game can be converted into a zero sum game by subtracting a fixed value from all payoffs, leaving their relative order unchanged.

References

List of games in game theory Wikipedia

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