39 Comments
 
Controversial

Listen, idk why you want to learn Game Theory. But if you want to actually use it, there's 0 value in reading a book that's "dumbed down" so all the folks who went to business school can talk about it.

Game Theory is a study of decision making systems through rigorous mathematical language. The very notion of Nash equilibrium is defined as a mathematical optimization. If you want to learn about how to find out where that equilibrium (aka, the point you want to reach) point lies at, basic understanding of mathematical optimization - formulations and solution methodologies - is pretty much REQUIRED.

If you're gonna learn something don't half ass it. Also, don't buy a book. It's a complete waste of money. Read academic papers.

 
Most Helpful

Quarantine must really be getting to you. Not really understanding the point in you lashing out?

It’s not “half-assing” anything.... if I want to read about something at a surface level before deciding to spend hours diving into it that’s on me. I would also argue that my approach is most appropriate for any subject matter.

Please tell me what exactly I would gather from going straight into academic papers on the matter? What foundation would I be building upon?

Why don’t you step down from your pedestal for a moment, put your high horse back in the stall and let other people learn the things they want instead of being so critical.

At the end of the day, you’ve provided ZERO value to this thread and instead have just come off like an ass. Try and get some fresh air today, it will do you some good, Pal.

 

i don't know why you got monkey shit thrown at you. What you're saying is correct. Game Theory was spurred from mathematicians and economists just further built upon it. Without math, economics is just a psychology/sociology degree.

 

The Art of Strategy by Avinash Dixit.

Friend recommended this but have not read it. He is very critical of books so I trust his recommendation!

Another book...

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

"Kahneman is a psychologist who has won the Nobel Prize for Economics. He studied decision making throughout his career, dramatically influencing game theory, behavioral economics, finance, and the entire field of psychology. In this book he describes his research, which he performed with the late psychologist Amos Tversky, and it will make you forever change the way you think about your daily decisions. I cannot overstate how fascinating it is to read about the various biases and heuristics that all of our brains operate with."

Go all the way
 

The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod (no not that Bobby Axe) Prisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone Two-Person Game Theory - Anatol Rapoport The Strategy of Conflict - Thomas C. Schelling Thinking Fast & Slow - Daniel Kahneman Game Theory for Applied Economics - Robert Gibbons

All of these are about 200-300 pages and are generally introductory/surface level. Thinking Fast & Slow, while not entirely Game Theory (more of an insight into human thought patterns) is probably the most entertaining and is a great book to talk about in a business setting as many people I have come across have either read or are atleast familiar with it.

 

Check out Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke, less about hardcore game theory and more about applying it to all aspects of daily life. Fantastic read.

 

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