Game theory -  A Tutorial

Jean Walrand

Overview

Game theory provides a mathematical framework to study interactions of self-interested agents.  When applied to network models, the theory yields useful insight into the value of technology features.  This tutorial covers some key ideas and results of game theory. 

We study static games where the players play once and simultaneously, such as rock-paper-scissors.

We then explore repeated versions of a static game.

The next topic is dynamic games, such as chess or diplomacy.

Finally, we discuss cooperation and bargaining.

 

This tutorial was written while the author was supported by NSF under grants 0435480 (NeTS-NR: Economics Mechanisms for Networks) and 0627161  (Collaborative Research: NeTS-FIND: Market-Enabling Network Architecture).