Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life (book review)

One of the most common questions I get is, “Can you recommend an introductory book on game theory-a book without a lot of math?”

When I first got this question, I was hard pressed to find an answer. Game theory is a mathematical science, and many presentations can be intimidating. For example, many journals and textbooks are so complicated that it takes a mastery of Bayesian probability, set theory, and real analysis just to understand the problems! This is a tragedy, for a subject as interesting as game theory should be made accessible.

So over the last few years I have kept a special eye out for books aimed at general audiences. And I am glad to say there are a few good books on game theory.

I have listed the books I have especially enjoyed in a separate blog page about recommended books. And to do them justice, I plan to write full reviews on each of my favorites so you get a better idea of them.

Today I will discuss Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life by Len Fisher.

What the book is about

There are two quotes in the “praise” section that nicely summarize the book:

“Why be nice? In answering this simple question, Len Fisher takes us on a wry, fascinating tour of one of the most momentous sciences of our time. You couldn’t ask for a better guide to all the games we play.”
–William Poundstone, author of Gaming the Vote and Fortune’s Formula

“Rock, Paper, Scissors is a refreshingly informal as well as insightful account of key ideas in game theory. Len Fisher gives many examples, several from his own life, of games that post harrowing choices for their players. He shows how game theory not only illuminates the consequences of these choices but also may help the players extricate themselves from situations likely to cause anger or grief.”
–Steven J. Brams, New York University, author of Mathematics and Democracy

My one sentence summary is: Rock, Paper, Scissors is a popular science book that connects game theory to everyday situations and suggests several strategies for achieving cooperation.

(As you can tell, this book is a different style from other books I like such a Thinking Strategically or The Art of Strategy. This book is a lighter read and connects more to anecdotes and science.)

Book highlights

I will warn you that the book starts off a little bit slowly. The first chapter “trapped in a matrix” mainly describes the Prisoner’s dilemma and gives the negative connotation that the Nash equilibrium is a logical trap. The matrix graphics are not that illuminating either. Luckily, these setbacks didn’t stop me from reading the rest of the book which is full of interesting examples and explanations.

The second chapter “I cut and you choose” is where the book picks up. This chapter offers a nice introduction to the concepts of minimax and fair division. Fisher illuminates fair division with anecdotes like how he got in trouble as a kid shooting fireworks, and as a consequence had to yield fireworks with his brother. The answer he intuitively arrived to as a kid was what he know realizes was an application of the minimax principle. I was also impressed that Fisher discusses the principle of equal division of the contested sum, which I have discussed twice before (regarding religion and homeowner fees).

Chapter three is about seven of the most interesting game theory problems, which Fisher aptly dubs “the seven deadly dilemmas.” Here Fisher offers a great summary of such problems as the free rider issue and the game of chicken.

Chapter four is a humorous one, and is about the game “rock, paper, scissors.” It was new to me that rock, paper, scissors is in fact played in most of the world (though under various other names). I was also amused at how rock, paper, scissors can be used in conflict resolution. The reason is that the game has no pure strategy that dominates the others. Hence situations and games which seem to be at a standstill (say too many free-riders in overfishing) can be solved by adding strategies and converting them to rock-paper-scissors situations.

Chapters five through eight are all about cooperation: how we can achieve trust, bargain effectively, and change the game to avoid the “trap” of the Prisoner’s dilemma and other undesirable outcomes. I won’t go into detail, as the main fun points are similar in nature to the other chapters: the narratives and interesting examples from science.

Read the end notes!

One of the best parts of this book is the “Notes” section at the end. This is a substantial part of the book and it is full of narratives, jokes, and random trivia. The end notes are over 50 pages long-and this is for a book that is about 250 pages in total! I am still following up on many of the references and this alone has been worth the read.

Final thoughts

I hope this review gives you a better idea of the book. It is a great introductory read and a good addition for real-life examples of game theory. Check it out:

*I also owe a special thanks to the book publisher for providing a review copy