Practical Game Theory

Presented on Saturday on the Tabletop Theatre, our 22nd PAX panel/lecture, we discuss a variety of game theory concepts and terms from the perspective of practical use as players of games. Being familiar with basic concepts like "cooperation" or "utility," coupled with an extended study of the "toy" games that actually exist as subgames within your games, you will be able to form more powerful heuristics for making good decisions.

We touch ever-so-briefly (and with a degree of oversimplification) on Combinatorial Game Theory, but ask the audience to attempt a sort of "deconstruction" of the class game Nim in order to arrive at some of the same basic principles.