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Introducing Graphic Guides
Introducing Game Theory: A Graphic Guide
When should you adopt an aggressive business strategy? How do we make decisions when we don't have all the information? What makes international environmental cooperation possible?Game theory is the study of how we make a decision when the outcome of our moves depends on the decisions of someone else. Economists Ivan and Tuvana Pastine explain why, in these situations, we sometimes cooperate, sometimes clash, and sometimes act in a way that seems completely random.Stylishly brought to life by award-winning cartoonist Tom Humberstone, Game Theory will help readers understand behaviour in everything from our social lives to business, global politics to evolutionary biology. It provides a thrilling new perspective on the world we live in.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2017
4283 people are currently reading
2513 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
June 7, 2017
Brilliant guide for people from various fields (economics, politics, sociology, management etc.). Apart from the explanations, illustrations help to comprehend better. Loved it!
December 16, 2018
One of the very few books that explain a convoluted topic in simple terms without compromising the necessary chunks. Just like a comic book, this one too has a lot of intelligent illustrations that will not only cater to your interest but will also help you in grasping the concepts firmly.
All the concepts of Game Theory are explained by taking examples and you will see the application part a lot.
Just grab this book before your life ends :P
All the concepts of Game Theory are explained by taking examples and you will see the application part a lot.
Just grab this book before your life ends :P
October 24, 2019
I believe I was first introduced to game theory with the concept of evolutionarily stable strategies, in Dawkin's classic The Selfish Gene. I didn't quite know what game theory was, but I understood its underlying concept, and I was fascinated.
I've stumbled upon a few more concepts from game theory later on, and I knew that I should dedicate some more time to it. Although the subject is famously complicated, and I never found a book that seemed a good introduction that wouldn't require me spending hundreds of hours to read and understand it. I've read a couple of other topics of this "graphic guide" series, so when I found out they had one on game theory, I got it immediately.
Game theory is the study of interactions between agents. I quite like the name, and it's very fitting. It's indeed very much like a game, where the goal is to try to maximize points. Except the game is the real world, and the points are whatever the agents value. Modern game theory was first developed by John Neumann in the late 1920s, and it's been an active field ever since.
To give an example, I'll describe the "Hawk-Dove Game", which one I already knew before from Dawkin's as I alluded, but remains one of my favorites, and quite intuitive to understand.
Let's say there are two 2 types of animals, a hawk and dove type. The first compete for mating and food, willing to be physically aggressive, while the dove only threatens other animals, never becoming aggressive and gives up if a conflict arises.
If a dove type engages in conflict with a hawk one, the dove one will lose every time. If 2 dove types engage in conflict, there is a 50% chance that one will win. If 2 hawk types engage in conflict, again there is a 50% chance for either of them to win, although they suffer the cost of physical combat.
Which type is more successful? It depends on the benefit of resources and the cost of fighting. And with some math, you can calculate it. However, whatever type ends up being most effective, it will change the ratio of types (because they are more successful and outcompete the other group), and this will, in turn, affect the payoff for each type. For example, being a hawk, the more doves the better, since they will win each time. Yet, if there are too many hawks (because they outcompete doves), then it will be more problematic for hawks because they will have to fight each other every time.
In the numbers that the book used, this will cause a "perfect" ratio of 5 hawks for 1 dove. It's called a stable strategy because even if the ratio is affected, evolutionary forces will restore the equilibrium. Not every game has this type of equilibrium, but this aspect of having certain rules and what maximizes the "game" is the foundation of all game theory.
Regarding the book itself, I think it was well made. It made the topic easy to understand, and kept it as simple as possible. Although just like other books from this series, I found that it had too many examples. I think it would be better for the selection to be more limited, but being able to go more in-depth into each one. Nevertheless, likely a good choice for anyone interested in the topic. I liked the fact that the games shown were quite broad, and not specific to any given field. I was never interested in anything related to economics, but after reading a few applications from game theory, it made the topic a lot more appealing to me.
I've stumbled upon a few more concepts from game theory later on, and I knew that I should dedicate some more time to it. Although the subject is famously complicated, and I never found a book that seemed a good introduction that wouldn't require me spending hundreds of hours to read and understand it. I've read a couple of other topics of this "graphic guide" series, so when I found out they had one on game theory, I got it immediately.
Game theory is the study of interactions between agents. I quite like the name, and it's very fitting. It's indeed very much like a game, where the goal is to try to maximize points. Except the game is the real world, and the points are whatever the agents value. Modern game theory was first developed by John Neumann in the late 1920s, and it's been an active field ever since.
To give an example, I'll describe the "Hawk-Dove Game", which one I already knew before from Dawkin's as I alluded, but remains one of my favorites, and quite intuitive to understand.
Let's say there are two 2 types of animals, a hawk and dove type. The first compete for mating and food, willing to be physically aggressive, while the dove only threatens other animals, never becoming aggressive and gives up if a conflict arises.
If a dove type engages in conflict with a hawk one, the dove one will lose every time. If 2 dove types engage in conflict, there is a 50% chance that one will win. If 2 hawk types engage in conflict, again there is a 50% chance for either of them to win, although they suffer the cost of physical combat.
Which type is more successful? It depends on the benefit of resources and the cost of fighting. And with some math, you can calculate it. However, whatever type ends up being most effective, it will change the ratio of types (because they are more successful and outcompete the other group), and this will, in turn, affect the payoff for each type. For example, being a hawk, the more doves the better, since they will win each time. Yet, if there are too many hawks (because they outcompete doves), then it will be more problematic for hawks because they will have to fight each other every time.
In the numbers that the book used, this will cause a "perfect" ratio of 5 hawks for 1 dove. It's called a stable strategy because even if the ratio is affected, evolutionary forces will restore the equilibrium. Not every game has this type of equilibrium, but this aspect of having certain rules and what maximizes the "game" is the foundation of all game theory.
Regarding the book itself, I think it was well made. It made the topic easy to understand, and kept it as simple as possible. Although just like other books from this series, I found that it had too many examples. I think it would be better for the selection to be more limited, but being able to go more in-depth into each one. Nevertheless, likely a good choice for anyone interested in the topic. I liked the fact that the games shown were quite broad, and not specific to any given field. I was never interested in anything related to economics, but after reading a few applications from game theory, it made the topic a lot more appealing to me.
June 18, 2017
Don't judge this book by its title or cover. What the authors mean by "Game Theory" is an intellectual leap in terms of what a newbie to the topic would consider game theory.
A. This book won't help you improve your chess skills or really any other strategy game skills. Although, chess is prominently shown on the cover only a small mention of the game appears in the early chapters. It's the ole' bait and switch tactic.
B. the authors say game theory isn't just about games it's about contextual situations where people must make decisions and the theories are applied to help you understand decisions people or nouns aka the players make so you can anticipate the results.
A better title for the book would be - A Theory of Choices and Consequences as illustrated by examples of War, Evolution, Economics and Social Situations. I understand that doesn't ring off the tongue but it would be more honest.
It's a quick read and even if you're new to this topic you'd probably get something out of it if you read it twice through.
A. This book won't help you improve your chess skills or really any other strategy game skills. Although, chess is prominently shown on the cover only a small mention of the game appears in the early chapters. It's the ole' bait and switch tactic.
B. the authors say game theory isn't just about games it's about contextual situations where people must make decisions and the theories are applied to help you understand decisions people or nouns aka the players make so you can anticipate the results.
A better title for the book would be - A Theory of Choices and Consequences as illustrated by examples of War, Evolution, Economics and Social Situations. I understand that doesn't ring off the tongue but it would be more honest.
It's a quick read and even if you're new to this topic you'd probably get something out of it if you read it twice through.
September 29, 2018
A good simple non mathematical guide to game theory. Introduces all the main concepts and also recommends a beginner text if you want to study game theory more seriously.
May 6, 2023
I'm a student at heart, someone who loves to learn random things from other disciplines, so I swallowed this short book. A fun introduction to game theory. Highly recommended.
March 2, 2025
While I find it is a rather "cheating" method of reading a book, some books are much better through the crux of their meaning as opposed to reading the entire book. I mean no disrespect to many of the authors out there, as I am one of them; however, some books are well above my paygrade and yet I still desire to learn about the subject matter at hand, regardless of how difficult it may be. So, I cheat and gather the basics of the book, the tenets of the subject matter, and take on only those necessary thoughts and ideas that will get me by. This was an interestng subject and was well worth it to me. I am trying out the MindScape app to gain some additional tidbits of knowledge while I am still on this earth.
June 5, 2019
Good explanation of game theory concepts.
April 1, 2021
ساده، مختصر و کاربردی
October 15, 2022
I thought the pictures would be condescending but it was actually quite good
May 26, 2025
This was pretty good, lots of examples, easy to understand; will read more about game theory;
“Human behaviour is probably better approximated by bounded rationality. That is, human rationality is limited by the tractability of the decision problem (how easy it is to manage), the cognitive limitations of our minds, the time available in which to make the decision, and how important the decision is to us.”
“Human behaviour is probably better approximated by bounded rationality. That is, human rationality is limited by the tractability of the decision problem (how easy it is to manage), the cognitive limitations of our minds, the time available in which to make the decision, and how important the decision is to us.”
April 16, 2019
Quick and simple non mathematical introduction to game theory.
April 17, 2022
Soo this was actually my first book on game theory. I had heard a bit about it before and this was a nice book for introduction but I wish it was a bit longer or a bit more detailed. But well it is an introductory book so yeah I get why it isn't too detailed. I do want to read more on this topic though
January 23, 2020
A fun light read on game theory
This book is for people who love light yet informative reading on any topic they wish to know about. I loved the concept of this graphic novel series and the pictures are accurate for the concepts it tries to explain. One star less for less content.
This book is for people who love light yet informative reading on any topic they wish to know about. I loved the concept of this graphic novel series and the pictures are accurate for the concepts it tries to explain. One star less for less content.
November 12, 2019
Pretty good overview of game theory concepts. The examples were mostly easy to understand, so it would be suitable for teenagers and adults alike. My only problem was the terrible editing - too many spelling mistakes and some pictures in the Kindle version are too small to read and can't be enlarged.
February 1, 2019
Loved it!!
I was able to grasp the fundamentals of game theory in detail in less than three hours!!! The illustrations were of great help!! Would highly recommend.
I was able to grasp the fundamentals of game theory in detail in less than three hours!!! The illustrations were of great help!! Would highly recommend.
September 7, 2025
The book is a nice readable introduction to game theory. I found it easier to follow than the similar Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Ken Binmore.
The book describes some game theory applications to evolutionary biology, economics, warfare, international relations, environmental protection, collective action problems, and getting along with your roommates.
The example about negotiating a global climate change treaty might have worked better had the authors used an example of the kind of problem that governments can actually solve, such as the Montreal protocol for phasing out the CFCs that damaged the ozone layer. That problem was within the scope for governments to solve because substitute chemicals were readily available and the impact on ordinary consumers was negligible. Also, at the time, the right-wing disinformation machine was still new at the game of corrupting science; today it controls all branches of the US Federal government.
Today the war against science is far more sophisticated, well-funded, and duping many millions of people. On top of that, climate change is orders of magnitude harder to fix than the ozone hole, for a long list of reasons that fill books - books which the authors of this book do not appear to have read.
So, apart from the book vastly oversimplifying the problem that will wipe out civilization, unless humans unexpectedly become vastly more intelligent, it's a pretty good book.
Another mild gripe is the book's frequent references to "the Nobel Prize" to refer to the fake Nobel Prize in Economics, which was never part of Alfred Nobel's original will. It's a prestigious award, to be sure, but also controversial. Economics is not a physical science like chemistry or physics, where the leading experts typically reach consensus. Instead economics tends to include a hefty dose of values in addition to facts, and the various schools of economics can be wildly at odds with each other on their policy recommendations. And so for example a reactionary economist can get a "Nobel Prize" for helping to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Meanwhile Hume's guillotine collects dust as the prestige of the award can fool people into imagining that someone's policy preference (i.e., deciding who should benefit at the expense of whom) carries the same weight as a physical or chemical fact.
Those issues probably don't affect the (surprisingly many) fake Nobels awarded to game theorists, since game theory might be close to the most value-free part of economics.
The book describes some game theory applications to evolutionary biology, economics, warfare, international relations, environmental protection, collective action problems, and getting along with your roommates.
The example about negotiating a global climate change treaty might have worked better had the authors used an example of the kind of problem that governments can actually solve, such as the Montreal protocol for phasing out the CFCs that damaged the ozone layer. That problem was within the scope for governments to solve because substitute chemicals were readily available and the impact on ordinary consumers was negligible. Also, at the time, the right-wing disinformation machine was still new at the game of corrupting science; today it controls all branches of the US Federal government.
Today the war against science is far more sophisticated, well-funded, and duping many millions of people. On top of that, climate change is orders of magnitude harder to fix than the ozone hole, for a long list of reasons that fill books - books which the authors of this book do not appear to have read.
So, apart from the book vastly oversimplifying the problem that will wipe out civilization, unless humans unexpectedly become vastly more intelligent, it's a pretty good book.
Another mild gripe is the book's frequent references to "the Nobel Prize" to refer to the fake Nobel Prize in Economics, which was never part of Alfred Nobel's original will. It's a prestigious award, to be sure, but also controversial. Economics is not a physical science like chemistry or physics, where the leading experts typically reach consensus. Instead economics tends to include a hefty dose of values in addition to facts, and the various schools of economics can be wildly at odds with each other on their policy recommendations. And so for example a reactionary economist can get a "Nobel Prize" for helping to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Meanwhile Hume's guillotine collects dust as the prestige of the award can fool people into imagining that someone's policy preference (i.e., deciding who should benefit at the expense of whom) carries the same weight as a physical or chemical fact.
Those issues probably don't affect the (surprisingly many) fake Nobels awarded to game theorists, since game theory might be close to the most value-free part of economics.
November 15, 2022
Nifty lil guide that doesn’t go into math but demonstrates fundamental ideas beautifully.
It gives the impression that game theory is more limited in application than I’d hoped, however.
+++Arrows Impossibility Theorem
+Dove Hawk game
+Prisoners’ Dilemma
+Nuclear Build-up
+Exit game
+Subgame perfection
+Signalling product quality
+Asymmetric information and unemployment
It gives the impression that game theory is more limited in application than I’d hoped, however.
+++Arrows Impossibility Theorem
+Dove Hawk game
+Prisoners’ Dilemma
+Nuclear Build-up
+Exit game
+Subgame perfection
+Signalling product quality
+Asymmetric information and unemployment
February 24, 2019
Informative!
I have been hearing about game theory for a while and found myself wondering what it was. This was a perfect book for a guy like me who just wanted to know the basics of what it means.
I have been hearing about game theory for a while and found myself wondering what it was. This was a perfect book for a guy like me who just wanted to know the basics of what it means.
May 7, 2021
Good intro for game theory for beginners. It doesn’t go into depth but it doesn’t claim to do so either. I feel like it could be especially helpful from an economics-centered perspective but if you get the fundamental ideas, you can apply them to any other area.
February 16, 2022
For someone without economics or psychology background, this was fun and stimulating.
If it weren't for the illustrations, i think i would not have understood the concepts well. 😅
Im sure the theory is much more complex when the math comes into the picture but this guide is just nice for reading and not too hard.
Its interesting to view the world through this lens now, by seeing how behaviour and decisions play out between two sides, the type of outcomes, the foresight involved, the uncertainty..
No wonder some people have better clarity than others when it comes to their decision-making process.
And also no wonder, I suck at chess and politics. 😅
If it weren't for the illustrations, i think i would not have understood the concepts well. 😅
Im sure the theory is much more complex when the math comes into the picture but this guide is just nice for reading and not too hard.
Its interesting to view the world through this lens now, by seeing how behaviour and decisions play out between two sides, the type of outcomes, the foresight involved, the uncertainty..
No wonder some people have better clarity than others when it comes to their decision-making process.
And also no wonder, I suck at chess and politics. 😅
October 5, 2019
A good book on basic ideas related to game theory and its applications. Few concepts are hard and ambiguous to understand and should have been presented with more examples.
July 28, 2021
Very nicely written, great illustrations. The authors did it very well.
For all interested in game theory and those familiar with the book is really great reading.
Grab it and enjoy reading!
For all interested in game theory and those familiar with the book is really great reading.
Grab it and enjoy reading!
May 29, 2022
Quick read and fun into to game theory.
February 27, 2021
Great intro
This book avoids using math and explains the basics of game theory in simple terms with everyday examples. Very enlightening.
This book avoids using math and explains the basics of game theory in simple terms with everyday examples. Very enlightening.
September 10, 2024
Easy to read, practical. Has easily understandable examples that you can work through.
April 14, 2020
An easy and fun read on a relatively complicated topic. The authors have skipped the mathematical backgrounds of game theory and focused simply on the foundational ideas.
The use of comic-style graphics and examples add a fluid flow to the book.
It is a one or two-day read depending on your free time.
The use of comic-style graphics and examples add a fluid flow to the book.
It is a one or two-day read depending on your free time.
July 18, 2022
I knew nothing about game theory when I opened this book, and I only know a little bit more now, but reading this one was fun, and the ideas were delivered well and clearly.
If you want an accessible basic introduction, this one works.
If you want an accessible basic introduction, this one works.
May 23, 2020
A very nicely written introduction to Game theory. it forms a coherent and easy to understand picture.
The examples are relatable and interesting combined with beautiful graphics is really enjoyable.
The examples are relatable and interesting combined with beautiful graphics is really enjoyable.
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