Dunbar’s Problem

Game Theory applies to more than just games. But that implies that those things are just games too. by Ugur Akdemir

Game Theory is the study of how and why people make decisions. It extends from warfare to agriculture. But “game” has a more colloquial term. Urban dictionary defines game as confidently using your skills to seduce women. There is even an entire subreddit devoted to this: /r/seduction. The writer Robert Greene argues that the art of seduction dates as far back as Cleopatra and, in fact, that it was actually women who developed the art.

There are only two ways to get people to do something: inspiration or manipulation. The difference between the two is whose choice matters. In manipulation, the manipulator’s choice determines the outcome, while those who are inspired get to choose. Whether game is an act of manipulation or inspiration, the same rules apply. All games have rules.

Intensities ranged from 15 volts to 450 volts. The descriptions went from “SLIGHT SHOCK” to “DANGER SEVERE SHOCK“ and finished with “XXX”. Source

Stanley Milgram wanted to test how willing people are to listen to authority if it involved harming another person. He was inspired by the Nazis war criminals who contested that they were just following orders.

Milgram placed volunteers to serve as lab assistants, “teachers”, studying learning. The teacher was instructed to shock “learners” (who were actors) if they could not accurately recite a word pair. Each incorrect…