There are games everywhere. Driving games are being played by motorists navigating dense traffic. On eBay, bargain hunters participate in an auctioning game. Playing an economic game determines how much corn flakes cost at the grocery store. In a groundbreaking area that studies how to play games rationally, game theory, this Very Short Introduction provides a condensed tour of the intriguing realm of game theory. Renowned game theorist Ken Binmore demonstrates how the theory can shed light on a variety of topics, including social gatherings, ethical decision-making, successful card-playing strategies, and calculating the sex ratio among bees. His explanation of the theory is both entertaining and non-mathematical, but it is also profoundly insightful. This book provides a succinct overview of a cutting-edge field that has seen spectacular successes in evolutionary biology and economics and is beginning to revolutionize other disciplines from psychology to political science. It includes mini-biographies of many fascinating and occasionally eccentric founders of the subject, including John Nash, the subject of the movie A Beautiful Mind.
