Product Description
Game theory, particularly the use of repeated games, N-person games, and incomplete information games have been popular research techniques in political science, sociology and management, but difficult for new social researchers to use until now.

This book aims makes these topics accessible to all social scientists. Using a common social science game, Chicken, to illustrate the concepts, the book introduces readers to: games of incomplete information; how to build uncertainty into game theoretic models; the concept of Bayesian Nash equilibrium; and the role of repetition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good, simple introduction, but the occasional typo
good, simple introduction, but the occasional typo makes it difficult to follow, sometimes. ... Read more

Product Description

To make the best decisions, you need the best information. However, because most issues in game theory are grey, nearly all recent research has been carried out using a simplified method that considers grey systems as white ones. This often results in a forecasting function that is far from satisfactory when applied to many real situations. Grey Game Theory and Its Applications in Economic Decision Making introduces classic game theory into the realm of grey system theory with limited knowledge. The book resolves three theoretical issues:

• A game equilibrium of grey game
• A reasonable explanation for the equilibrium of a grey matrix of static nonmatrix game issues based on incomplete information
• The Centipede Game paradox, which has puzzled theory circles for a long time and greatly enriched and developed the core methods of subgame Nash perfect equilibrium analysis as a result

The book establishes a grey matrix game model based on pure and mixed strategies. The author proposes the concepts of grey saddle points, grey mixed strategy solutions, and their corresponding structures and also puts forward the models and methods of risk measurement and evaluation of optimal grey strategies. He raises and solves the problems of grey matrix games. The book includes definitions of the test rules of information distortion experienced during calculation, the design of tokens based on new interval grey numbers, and new arithmetic laws to manipulate grey numbers. These features combine to provide a practical and efficient tool for forecasting real-life economic problems.

Product Description

With the advent of the Internet and other modern information and communication technologies, a magnificent opportunity has opened up for introducing new, innovative models of commerce, markets, and business.

Creating these innovations calls for significant interdisciplinary interaction among researchers in computer science, communication networks, operations research, economics, mathematics, sociology, and management science. In the emerging era of new problems and challenges, one particular tool that has found widespread applications is mechanism design.

The focus of this monograph is to explore game theoretic modeling and mechanism design for problem solving in Internet and network economics.

The monograph is structured into two parts. The first part (Chapter 2) contains an overview of foundational concepts and key results in mechanism design. This chapter is intended as a self-sufficient introduction to mechanism design theory with the help of numerous stylized examples from network economics. The second part of the monograph contains an exposition of representative game theoretic problems in three different network economics situations and a systematic exploration of mechanism design solutions to these problems. This part has three chapters: Chapter 3 deals with the sponsored search auction problem, Chapter 4 with the resource allocation problem in computational grids, and Chapter 5 with the robust broadcast protocol design problem in ad hoc networks. The monograph concludes with Chapter 6 which provides several pointers to the relevant literature to facilitate a deeper and broader investigation of problem solving with mechanism design.

The monograph has been structured with the objective of providing a sound foundation of relevant concepts and theory to help apply mechanism design to problem solving in a rigorous way. At the end of a serious reading of this monograph, the readers should be able to model real-world situations using game theory, analyze the situations using game theoretic concepts, and design correct and robust solutions (mechanisms, algorithms, protocols) that would work for agents that are rational and intelligent.

Product Description
This upgraded software boasts new and improved games, a higher level of organization within each subject, improved record-keeping and testing features as well as colorful graphics. Different aspects of music theory, such as note recognition, intervals, rhythm and musical terms correspond to each lesson inAlfred's Basic Piano Library Lesson Books. Windows and Mac compatible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Piano teacher rates software
The fun graphics, such as ladybugs and frogs, really appeal to the young piano student. The games are imaginative, comprehensive and useful. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the classic early monographs on game theory, this comprehensive overview illustrates the theory's applications to situations involving conflicts of interest, including economic, social, political, and military contexts. Contents include a survey of rectangular games; a method of approximating the value of a game; games in extensive form and those with infinite strategies; distribution functions; Stieltjes integrals; the fundamental theorem for continuous games; separable games; games with convex payoff functions; applications to statistical inference; and much more. Appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses; a familiarity with advanced calculus is assumed. 1952 edition. 51 figures. 8 tables.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Thorough theoretical description of the concept of the "game"
The inclusion of the word "introduction" in the title does not mean elementary, the level of mathematics is very advanced. In the broadest definition of the term, "game" it is a set of optional choices where the goal of the selectors is to maximize or minimize their return, often relative to an opponent. That is the definition used in this book. Few actual games are mentioned and many theorems and proofs are included.
The chapter titles are:

*) Rectangular games
*) The fundamental theorem for rectangular games
*) The solutions of a rectangular game
*) A method of approximating the value of a game
*) Games in extensive form
*) Games in extensive form - general theory
*) Games with infinitely many strategies
*) Distribution functions
*) Stieltjes integrals
*) The fundamental theorem for continuous games
*) Separable games
*) Games with convex payoff functions
*) Applications to statistical inference
*) Linear programming
*) Zero-sum n-person games
*) Solutions of n-person games
*) Games without zero-sum restriction: the vonNeumann-Morgenstern theory
*) Some open problems

To understand the material in this book, you need a solid grounding in differentiable and integral calculus, linear algebra, probability and stochastic processes. However, if you have that background, you will find an understandable and nearly complete theoretical description of the general concept of games.

An Early Masterpiece in Game Theory
I developed an interest in game theory some years ago and began collecting a small library of acknowledged "essential references" in the subject in order to educate myself.Of all the books that I own, this masterpiece by J. C. C. McKinsey stands out for its clarity of exposition, its amazingly clear logical organization, and its readability.Any sufficiently motivated person with the requisite mathematical background can teach himself a fair amount of game theory by studying this book on his own.McKinsey's book is a model of what mathematical exposition SHOULD be (but rarely is).

The book appeared in 1952 and hence is hopelessly out of date;game theory has undergone significant development in the past few decades.However, McKinsey's book still offers the clearest introduction to the
established "core" materials to be found in any text.In fact, I have repeatedly found that McKinsey's book, together with the old 1957 classic by Luce and Raiffa, provides novel insights and enlightening discussions that are not to be found in any of the most popular standard references currently in use in university-level game theory courses.

In addition to his interests in game theory, McKinsey was a logician of some repute.It is our loss that he died under tragic circumstances in 1953 when merely 45 years old.His death came only one year after the release of his book on game theory and two years after his separation from the Rand Corporation, where so much of the early work in game theory took place.We can only speculate how this magnificent book might have evolved through successive editions had McKinsey lived another 30 years.


... Read more

Product Description
Superb nontechnical introduction to game theory and related disciplines, primarily as applied to the social sciences. Clear, comprehensive coverage of utility theory, two-person zero-sum games, two-person nonzero-sum games, n-person games, individual and group decision-making, much more. Appendixes. Bibliography. Graphs and figures.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Comprehensive but expatiated with extremely inflated language
Reading this book you definitely will teach you lot about game theory, but the author does an awful job of being straightforward with the language. Some sentences are so verbose and convoluted that you have to read them multiple times - and even then, they might seem unclear.

The importance of the game theory
The book talk in interesting way about the role of the game theory in the actual economy. The arguments are formally very good. The student can make easy the proofs and the applications are clear. I am interesting particullary about cooperative games and I'm sorry that it here lack the relation with the projective geometry.

Overwhelming for your average liberal arts major
You need calculus to appreciate this one.

But it is still very good.Like a dinner made by a top chef with the finest possible materials, it still may not be to your personal taste, no matter how well made it is."Games and Decisions" is of limited utility for non-mathematicians, especially the attorneys and liberal arts majors that make decisions for nations.

The maths are mostly over my head, and I was only really able to follow one out of four pages (on the average) of the book.Nevertheless, from what I could appreciate, I learned a lot about the nature of utility, reiterative games, non-zero sum games, conditions of certainty and uncertainty, etc, as well as a lot of 'special case' games in the appendices.

I can see that this is the work of masters, but it is not something I can fully appreciate.

E. M. Van Court

The appendices are the best part
I had this book for a number of years before I could appreciate its use. The reading in the main text can be very low yield at times, as he is often simply musing, explaining the implications of certain ideas without much mathematical analysis.This is basically a very long primer on game theory, which ends up often explaining what is intuitively obvious based on his previous expositions.

So why 5 stars?For starters the book is quite comprehensive, but where I found this book really shines is the appendices, which comprise roughly a fourth of the book and are really interesting.They address topics in high yield fashion simply getting to the mathematical methods: A probabilistic theory of utility, The minimax theorem, Geometrical Interpretation of Games, Linear Programming and Games, Methods for solving Games, Recursive Games, and Games of Survival.

A mathematician may not find anything in this book that is new to him other than an explanation of what game theory is and a vocabulary for reading and writing about game theory, but a non-mathematician (like me) will likely find some very interesting topics presented in the appendices.

This was the textbook used by John Nash......
in his course in Game Theory (M711!) at MIT in the late 1950's.
I took that course; while Nash was unquestionably brilliant, he was getting to be pretty hard to follow at that point.The lecture hall was always jammed to overflowing, because even on a bad day Nash was really something!Nevertheless, the book was subsequently very useful, with lots of ideas about game-theoretic approaches to real-world problems.

Nash didn't think too highly of this book (too much non-mathematical stuff), but thought it the best available at the time not written by his arch-enemy, Von Neumann! ... Read more

Product Description
This book is about using game theory in mathematical modelling. It is an introductory text, covering the basic ideas and methods of game theory as well as the necessary ideas from the vast spectrum of scientific study where the methods are applied.

It has by now become generally apparent that game theory is a fascinating branch of mathematics with both serious and recreational applications. Strategic behavior arises whenever the outcome of an individual's action depends on actions to be taken by other individuals--whether human, as in the Prisoners' Dilemma, or otherwise, as in the "duels of damselflies". As a result, game-theoretic mathematical models are applicable in both the social and natural sciences. In reading this book, you can learn not just about game theory, but also about how to model real situations so that they can be analyzed mathematically.

Mesterton-Gibbons includes the familiar game theory examples where they are needed for explaining the mathematics or when they provide a valuable application. There are also plenty of new examples, in particular from biology, such as competitions for territory or mates, games among kin versus games between kin, and cooperative wildlife management. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you want to understand the concepts of game theory...
look no further than Prof. Mesterton-Gibbons text. Although there are several classic texts in game theory, most proceed as typical mathematical works do: definition, definition, theorem, theorem, etc. This deductive path is great for rigor, but often a "feel" for the subject is lacking. The author's goal here is to proceed inductively, starting from examples and buliding up to the general principles. You'll finally understand, for example, what Nash equilibria in noncooperative games or the core of cooperative games really represents, and you'll be offered plenty of examples to demonstrate the concepts.

Kudos to Prof. Mesterton-Gibbons for writing a great text that really gets the reader thinking in a game-theoretic way! ... Read more

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Product Description

Useful Tools to Help Solve Decision Making Problems

Applied Game Theory and Strategic Behavior demonstrates the use of various game theory techniques to address practical business, economic, legal, and public policy issues. It also illustrates the benefits of employing strategic thinking that incorporates the uncertainty surrounding the behavior of other parties.

Real-world applications of game theory
Exploring a variety of games, the book outlines the process of modeling game theory questions while thinking strategically. It introduces core concepts through simple examples and case studies taken from the authors’ consulting work in the automotive, beer, wine, and spirits industries as well as in debates over government regulation. The authors include newly developed software applications that can construct and solve game theory models and present strategic options in clear, visual diagrams.

Out of the box and into the business world
Striking the right balance between necessary mathematics and practical applications, this book shows how game theory can be used in real life, not just in mathematical models. It helps readers improve their strategic thinking, define games based on actual situations, model games with payoffs and probabilities, and make strategically sound decisions.

Product Description
The first edition of this book was reprinted eight times! This book introduces and develops some of the important and beautiful elementary mathematics needed for rational analysis of various gambling and game activities. Most of the standard casino games (roulette, , blackjack, keno), some social games (backgammon, poker, bridge) and various other activities (state lotteries, horse racing, etc.) are treated in ways that bring out their mathematical aspects. The mathematics developed ranges from the predictable concepts of probability, expectation, and binomial coefficients to some less well-known ideas of elementary game theory. The Second Edition includes new material on: sports betting and the mathematics behind it; Game theory applied to bluffing in poker and related to the “Texas Holdem phenomenon”: The Nash equilibrium concept and its emergence in the popular culture: Internet links to games and to Java applets for practice and classroom use. The only formal mathematics background the reader needs is some facility with high school algebra. Game-related exercises are included at the end of most chapters for readers interested in working with and expanding ideas treated in the text. Solutions to some of the exercises appear at the end of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A popular book that contains mathematics
This book would be an ideal text for what would no doubt be a popular special topics course in game theory applied to gambling. While gambling has always been a popular recreation among humans, it is now probably more popular than ever. With state sponsored lotteries now almost universal, new gambling casinos being built everywhere and the rise of internet gambling, it is now easier than ever to do battle with the odds as declared by the gambling gods. Although the chances of winning the battle rarely change. When I was a math professor decades ago, being asked a question about gambling was a regular event.
Packel begins with a discussion of the basics of probabilities and mathematical expectation, explanations of the basics of counting and then analyzes some familiar games such as backgammon, craps and chuck-a-luck. The coverage then moves on to elementary game theory as expressed in zero-sum games and the now classic prisoner's dilemma situation. The explanations are detailed and complete, exercises appear at the ends of the chapters and solutions to some of them are included in an appendix.
Game theory may be unique in that it is a topic that people find interesting and the mathematics is not very difficult. With a bit of explanation, relative novices can understand it. Therefore, this book falls into an unusual niche, it is a book containing mathematics and mathematical formulas that can be considered popular mathematics. A lot of people would be a lot wealthier if they read material like this before they spent their gambling dollars.

For Gamblers Who Would Like to Understand Probability
This is not an academic treatment. There is no calculus; no measure theory foundation. Instead, this delightful read allows the average person with a little high school algebra to study for a few weeks, work the examples, and gain a solid foundation in the theory underlying games of chance. This is the reason for the book's popularity.

Modern college texts require a much higher level of preparation plus about four or five times the effort to assimilate. That's no fun, and truthfully of little value, to the average gambler who just wants to calculate the odds of throwing a 5 at craps. If you can't solve that problem and a hundred others after reading this book, you probably should stop trying.

There is fascinating historical and motivational material woven throughout dozens of examples taken from modern gambling scenarios. The essential combinatorics are developed and the normal distribution is described intuitively as a limit to the binomial. There's even a derivation of the famous gambler's ruin formula -- all without calculus.

A gambler will be more than just sharp after reading this book, he will become dangerous!

Excellent, Well-Written Approach to Games and Gambling
As a casual poker player and a sometimes visitor to casinos and race tracks, I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book; however, I found it was just what I needed.Was it a how-to book for Texas Holdem or other specific gambling pursuits? Not at all.But did the book give me ideas on how to improve my poker playing, my understanding of odds and betting strategy in a wide variety of games? Definitely! There's a vast amount of information in a relatively compact book.True it takes a little bit of math background to work through some of the material, but there is enough basic material along with ample references to a relevant bibliography and appropriate web sites so that everyone could learn something from this book.The author is quick to point out his intention of not delving too deeply into some topics, but he does provide abundant resources for the reader who is interested in digging deeper.

The writing style is light and enjoyable. The author even touches on life's lessons and philosophies of life, but most importantly he provides insight into the thought process employed by consistent winners.Along with the number of charts and tables that layout odds, decision trees, and probabilities, there are exercises at the end of each chapter for the reader to increase his understanding of the material presented. It is a book that can be read through from beginning to end or read in sections. The book is certainly digestible for the casual, interested reader, but maybe not all in one meal. Digesting it section by section worked better for me. Again there is a wide range of information on gambling theory with broad application.

The book starts with a brief history of gambling, even referencing some literature in which gambling played a role.The book studies basic theory involved in probability and expectations, permutations, binomial distribution and game theory.There are sections dedicated to various games from dice to poker to backgammon along with applications to more serious topics such as prisoner interrogation, faith beliefs and even war.

In today's age in which people are trying to engage in activities that exercise their minds, this book with its material and exercises provides ideal mind stimulation. It is a broad, educational and entertaining math book.

Beginners text
I bought this hoping it would be a sophisticated discussion of probability and game theory as it applies to gambling.Unfortunately it turned out to be an introductory text on probability with some discussion of the history and context of the development of probability theory.
The book uses gambling as its entré to basic probability theory.Not a bad idea, but the title was clearly ambiguous.
If you are looking for an introductory text, it is probably a 4-4.5 star choice.For my purposes it gets a 2; the historical context was interesting and completely lacking in most texts (otherwise I would have gotten nothing out of it).The writing quality was also very good (easy to read and the explanations were straightforward and complete).
Recommended for beginners, NOT recommended for people looking for more advanced tools to solve more complicated gambling problems.Due to the titles ambiguity, I had to average my rating between the appropriate 'beginner's text' rating of 4-4.5, and the rating of 2 stars I give it for what I was looking for. ... Read more

Product Description
Game theory is useful in understanding collective human activity as the outcome of interactive decisions. In recent years it has become a more prominent aspect of research and applications in public policy disciplines such as economics, philosophy, management and political science, and in work within public policy itself. Here Roger McCain makes use of the analytical tools of game theory with the pragmatic purpose of identifying problems and exploring potential solutions in public policy.

In practice, the influence of game theory on public policy and related disciplines has been less a consequence of broad theorems than of insightful examples. Accordingly, the author offers a critical review of major topics from both cooperative and noncooperative game theory, including less-known ideas in noncooperative game theory and constructive proposals for new approaches. In so doing, he provides a toolkit for the analysis of public policy as well as a clearer understanding of the public policy enterprise itself.

The author's unique approach and treatment of game theory will be a useful resource for students and scholars of economics and public policy, as well as for policymakers themselves. ... Read more

Product Description
We make choices all the time--about how to spend our money, about how to spend our time, about what to do with our lives. And we are also constantly judging the decisions other people make as rational or irrational. But what kind of criteria are we applying when we say that a choice is rational?What guides our own choices, especially in cases where we don't have complete information about the outcomes?What strategies should be applied in making decisions which affect a lot of people, as in the case of government policy? This book explores what it means to be rational in all these contexts.It introduces ideas from economics, philosophy, and other areas, showing how the theory applies to decisions in everyday life, and to particular situations such as gambling and the allocation of resources. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Wrong Choice
I'm inclined to say it's the worst VSI I've read. I had to make an earnest effort in the second half of the book to keep from skimming-browsing-leaping pages. And it wasn't worth the effort. The author presents a construct (rational choice), and then props it on a score of rules and conditions that must be met in order for choice to be rational. When reality diverges from the model, it's reality's fault, not the model's. This ultra-theoretical giddiness is applied to gambling, ordering food, and other examples that are not as interesting as the subject would've allowed. A comparison with truly interesting books on related subjects, such as Gladwell's Blink or Bennett's Randomness, leaves this VSI in a bad place.

The illustrations are chosen haphazardly, often with nothing but a tangential connection to the text. This all adds up to something more along the lines of the author's extremely personal and debatable take on choice theory, rather than a very short introduction.

Perplexed
I went to this book hoping to find a good overview of the current state of choice theory. And it may be in there somewhere. But having read every word I feel none the wiser. Analyze particular sentences and paragraphs, even pages and they seem quite clear. But I kept feeling: so what? I read the section on the Prisoner's Dilemma (something central to my field of conflict) and it left me with only a vague sense of what was going on.

Moreover, each time some of the theory mapped down into the real world of actually choosing, actually making a decision, or in building a political perspective about democracy or income distribution, it didn't seem to compute. Sample: 'Under democracy it will always be in the interests of the majority to oppress the minority. An example here is to be found in bans on country sports.' Apart from the fact that his example will be meaningless outside the UK, there is nothing in the previous paragraphs to justify this blunt assertion, that seems empirically extremely doubtful. I am a minority in reading lots of books, or in kayaking, or liking the novels of Anthony Powell and I feel no oppression from any majority. All of us are minorities in some perhaps the majority of respects, and I doubt that most of us in most situations feel oppressed.

I suspect that Michael Allingham (like most of us) has a definite set of political views: probably strong free market, authoritarian/libertarian (i.e. not without contradictions), and very comfortable with extreme income inequality. But I found that the step from Choice Theory to the implications he draws was just too large a leap of logic. He has simply projected his own belief systems into his real world conclusions and left me behind in the chain of logic stakes.

I am left profoundly disappointed that Choice Theory, that sounds like it might be helpful to the tough choices we are faced as a society, either does not have anything interesting to contribute or Michael Allingham's spin on it is profoundly unhelpful. I will now start the search to see if there is a better short introduction to this field that maps more usefully to choices in the real world. And that speaks to the audience in a more empathetic way. There is never any sense that this book has been subject to any push back from people who might not share his views, either on Choice Theory or the implications he has drawn. Surely his students at Oxford should have torn some of his logic and implications to pieces and lead to some re-writing? Created some cognizance of alternative perspectives? Of has the 'short' format made him delete the alternative arguments?

This is the most disappointing of the 20+ Very Short Introductions that I have read so far, the vast majority of which I would rate as 4 or 5 star.

I would welcome some comment or alternative perspective on this book in case I am missing something useful and I am open to being mistaken.

An introduction, but not for the real novice
"Short and to the point" describes the book perfectly, but what is the point?More specifically, to whom is it introducing the subject.

I found the book a good description of the logic behind choice theory; on what are the numerous different bases on which we can build a "theory" of choice; and where this can lead.From the simplest ideas of choice we are led to Arrow's Impossibility Theorem and so can see that "rational" choices may not satisfy everyone in a democracy - a result that needs to be known at all levels of a polity.

However it's supposed to be an introduction.If you're someone not used to using logic there are too many slippery areas where you'll get lost, even though the author tries to ground the work in reality - sometimes successfully, sometimes not.And for someone who wants to see more of the practical implications it is a pity that these are not explicated more.

This book will suit some as an introduction, but not all. ... Read more

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Product Description

The outstanding feature of this book is that it provides a unified account of three types of decision problem. It covers the basic ideas of decision theory, classical game theory, and evolutionary game theory in one volume. No background knowledge of economics or biology is required as examples have been carefully selected for their accessibility. Detailed solutions to the numerous exercises are provided at the back of the book, making it ideal for self-study. This introduction to game theory is intended as a first course for undergraduate students of mathematics, but it will also interest advanced students or researchers in biology and economics.

Customer Reviews (1)

more rigorous than most texts
Webb's treatment of game theory is directed at experienced mathematicians. You need a solid background in probability and statistics. Including covering Markov processes. The reason for the latter is that repeated games are discussed in the text. Often, the modelling of these involving using Markov decision processes.

If you have already read some introductory texts on game theory, including perhaps the classic early one by Neumann and Morganstern (1953), then Webb's book will likely present a more rigorous and comprehensive treatment.

Of interest is also the chapters on evolutionary games. Where success is defined in terms of reproduction. ... Read more

Product Description
Violent video games are successfully marketed to and easily obtained by children and adolescents. Even the U.S. government distributes one such game, America's Army, through both the internet and its recruiting offices. Is there any scientific evidence to support the claims that violent games contribute to aggressive and violent behavior?

Anderson, Gentile, and Buckley first present an overview of empirical research on the effects of violent video games, and then add to this literature three new studies that fill the most important gaps.They update the traditional General Aggression Model to focus on both developmental processes and how media-violence exposure can increase the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both short- and long-term contexts. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents also reviews the history of these games' explosive growth, and explores the public policy options for controlling their distribution. Anderson et al. describe the reaction of the games industry to scientific findings that exposure to violent video games and other forms of media violence constitutes a significant risk factor for later aggressive and violent behavior. They argue that society should begin a more productive debate about whether to reduce the high rates of exposure to media violence, and delineate the public policy options that are likely be most effective.

As the first book to unite empirical research on and public policy options for violent video games,Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents will be an invaluable resource for student and professional researchers in social and developmental psychology and media studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not worth the cost
I just read the sample of this book, and while it does present some interesting arguements, i don't think it is worth the money they are asking for it.

Sound Scientific Evidence
These are the top researchers, published in the top journals of their field. Critics often complain that they don't believe the science, but don't offer substantive arguments to the contrary. Critical thinking means weighing the evidence despite one's personal bias, which we all have. This topic sparks fierce debate because people take it personally. Bottom line, this is top notch scientific evidence, clearly conceived and well written.

Good book for a research project
It was a well written and informative book. At first I thought it was going to be all biased but they do take real facts and research to prove their point.

The debate is over? Really?
I tend to suspect a bias when a researcher claims the debate is over. The authors of this book make this claim in their introduction: "Nevertheless, the scientific debate about whether exposure to media violence causes increases in aggressive behavior is over and should have been over 30 years ago."

After reading this book, one should also read "Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do" by Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson.

Opinion FTL
It's interesting when reading about how video games influence violent behavior. It's like reading up on studies about ESP, they are interesting to read about but very clearly flawed in many ways. Putting aside the fact that many of the studies presented in this book lack the basic requirements of an acceptable study (Double-Blind Experiments with no room for observer bias) In the end this book presents generic ideas that can be changed slightly to apply to anything. Video games desensitize children to violence and promote aggressive behavior. Competitive sports desensitize children to having fun and increase likelihood of back-stabbing and double-crossing to get ahead and win.

Nonetheless this topic brings to mind the subject of angry, ignorant parents who will no doubt eat this up like another garbage-filled episode of Dr. Phil. To those parents I say this. Don't want your kids to play violent video games? Fine, don't buy it for them. There are ESRB ratings for a reason. Don't know what ESRB ratings are? Big surprise, hence making you an ignorant, angry parent. Let's forget the fact that all video game systems have parental controls on them and that each video game sold has a rating on it that states if there is any mature material on there, let's just focus on vague correlations that say that kids who play video games are more prone to aggressive behavior. Hey while we're lying to ourselves we might as well believe that we're actually in IRaq to spread democracy. Let the good times roll. ... Read more

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This text offers a systematic, rigorous, and unified presentation of evolutionary game theory, covering the core developments of the theory from its inception in biology in the 1970s through recent advances. Evolutionary game theory, which studies the behavior of large populations of strategically interacting agents, is used by economists to make predictions in settings where traditional assumptions about agents' rationality and knowledge may not be justified. Recently, computer scientists, transportation scientists, engineers, and control theorists have also turned to evolutionary game theory, seeking tools for modeling dynamics in multiagent systems. Population Games and Evolutionary Dynamics provides a point of entry into the field for researchers and students in all of these disciplines.

The text first considers population games, which provide a simple, powerful model for studying strategic interactions among large numbers of anonymous agents. It then studies the dynamics of behavior in these games. By introducing a general model of myopic strategy revision by individual agents, the text provides foundations for two distinct approaches to aggregate behavior dynamics: the deterministic approach, based on differential equations, and the stochastic approach, based on Markov processes. Key results on local stability, global convergence, stochastic stability, and nonconvergence are developed in detail. Ten substantial appendixes present the mathematical tools needed to work in evolutionary game theory, offering a practical introduction to the methods of dynamic modeling. Accompanying the text are nearly 200 color illustrations of the mathematics and theoretical results; many were created using the Dynamo software suite, which is freely available on the author's Web site. Readers are encouraged to use Dynamo to run quick numerical experiments and to create publishable figures for their own research. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a textbook for a course in the theory of games. It is intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in mathematics and other quantitative disciplines, e.g., statistics, operations research, etc. It treats the central topics in game theory and is meant to give students a basis from which they can go on to more advanced topics. The subject matter is approached in a mathematically rigorous way, but , within this constraint, an effort is made to keep it interesting and lively. New definitions and topics are motivated as thoroughly as possible. The mathematical prerequisites for understanding the book are modest: basic probability together with a little calculus and linear algebra.

Among others, two topics of great current interest are discussed in this book. The idea of iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (super games) is considered. It is specially of great interest to biologists, sociologists and others who use it in studying the evolution of cooperative behavior both in nature and in human society. Also covered are challenging game-playing computer programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good book but bit outdated
This is a good introductory book on game theory. It has good examples and exercises. But I felt that it is a bit out dated and does not cover many topics that has become important in the last decade. Infact, repeated prisoner dilemma is one of the advanced topics in the bookeven though it is a topic covered in first month in any contemporary game theory course. That said, I still believe that it is well written and is useful as a good intro to undergrads.

A good read, and I learned something.
This is an enjoyable book even if you don't know much about mathematics.I took it with me to Capri last summer, and got a sunburn when I was too absorbed in the text to move into the shade!The plot moves quickly, thereare plenty of interesting characters and exotic locales, and though theequations can be hard to follow (for me, anyway!),the author never letsyou get bogged down in them.Like Lewis Carroll, anotherauthor/mathematician, Morris knows how to make you think without realizingyou're thinking.That sounds like exalted company, but I, for one, amanxious for the sequel.

An excellent book to be used in introductory courses of GT
Though it is an excellent introductory book to be used in Game Theory courses, it is not suggested for self study in case the reader lacks on a mathematics background. The provided material seems to be the result of the author's hard work on issues related to teaching GT. The final chapter devoted to Programming algorithms and techniques sounds more as an addendum or appendix, than as a "sine qua non" component of the book. Adamantios Koumpis BSc in Computer Science Institute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas Crete, Greece ... Read more

Product Description
Combinatorial games are games of pure strategy involving two players, with perfect information and no element of chance. Starting from the very basics of gameplay and strategy, the authors cover a wide range of topics, from game algebra and surreal numbers to special classes of games. Classic techniques are introduced and applied in novel ways to analyze both old and new games, several appearing for the first time in this book. This book makes an excellent guide for undergraduates or for self-study by the enterprising reader, with a generous collection of exercises and problems scattered throughout the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

understanding many types of games
The cover illustration is quite well done. It hints at the range of games considered in the book. Inside, the discourse is highly mathematical. Not a trivial read, but suited to a reader who has already taken a course in discrete maths.

The book explains how to classify games by various criteria. So there could be impartial games and non-impartial games, for example. Another viewpoint is that some games have move order being vital in determining the outcome. Think chess or go.

The authors have also generously supplied many problems in each chapter. Including solutions. But what could be of interest to some readers is the description of the Combinatorial Game Suite. An open source Java program that lets you get at many built in games. While the Java programmer can extend it to incorporate other games written in Java. ... Read more