Game theory is an academic study where we analyze and test an individual’s options based on the motives and actions of others. Here’s an official definition of game theory: Deep inside board games, those wood and plastic pieces aren’t rules - they’re game theory. Cars’ mechanical parts are steel, but on a fundamental level, they’re pure, uncut physics. And a lot more accessible.Īll of those tiny rules and math-y, colorful pips on dice are called mechanics. Or you can level-up your craft the same way we did with data, AI, and human truths with something a little smaller. You can even watch an award-winning movie about it. And it will defend my hobby from the advice of creative directors that game theory is “something you should drop for bigger, more relevant activities.” This article will give you a crash course into game theory - the arcane art of Napoleon and Jeff Bezos.

It’s something you can hone and seek out as a form of professional development the way reading novels improves copywriting, watching films improves art direction, and improv can make better presenters. In other words, game theory is an asset like anything else in the creative professional’s toolbox.

It’s a multifaceted study like architecture that mixes economics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and design into one academic practice.

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