# Game theory
Game theory analyzes strategic interactions among rational (or evolutionary) agents whose payoffs depend on the joint actions of all players. Nash equilibria, mixed strategies, cooperative versus non-cooperative forms, evolutionary stability, and mechanism design supply solution concepts for economics, biology, politics, and multi-agent systems.
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## Microsims (promoted from legacy — three.js first)
### MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** evolutionary game / agent-based
- **Microsimmability score:** 74/100
- **Layout:** drawing region (canvas) on top; control region (sliders/buttons) below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Payoff matrix value`
- `Strategy mix`
- `Iterations`
### What animates
Two strategies replay a game and their populations shift toward an equilibrium as payoffs change.
### Learning objective
Show how payoffs determine which strategy a population settles on.
### MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** game-theory payoff grid
- **Microsimmability score:** 84/100
- **Layout:** drawing region (canvas) on top; control region (sliders/buttons) below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Player 1 strategy`
- `Player 2 strategy`
- `Payoff spread`
### What animates
A payoff matrix lights up as each player picks a strategy, revealing best responses and equilibria.
### Learning objective
Read best responses and equilibria off a two-player payoff grid.
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## Images
<figure class="wt-gifplate">
<img src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Game_of_life_animated_glider.gif" alt="Emergent Patterns" loading="lazy" decoding="async">
<figcaption><strong>Emergent Patterns</strong> — From one local rule, self-replicating machines emerge in Conway's Game of Life.<br>
<span class="wt-credit">Wikimedia Commons · <strong>licence pending verification</strong> (run <code>g17_gif_verify.py</code> on a networked lane) · <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Game_of_life_animated_glider.gif">Details</a></span></figcaption>
</figure>
*The hub concept of [[PORTAL_Game_theory]], and this page has no interactive build yet — the plate carries it.*
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## Reveal
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*Concept aligned with [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory); adapted text, where present, is licensed [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).*
## Overview
[[John_von_Neumann|John von Neumann]] founded the field as [[Applied_mathematics|applied mathematics]], joining [[Probability_theory|probability theory]], [[Combinatorics|combinatorics]], and [[Mathematical_optimization|optimization]] to the [[Rational_choice_model|rational choice model]] of [[Economics|economics]] — with [[Bounded_rationality|bounded rationality]] and the [[Prisoner's_dilemma|prisoner's dilemma]] testing where idealized strategy meets real [[Decision-making|decision-making]] and [[Decision_theory|decision theory]].
[[Evolutionary_game_theory|Evolutionary game theory]] rewrites payoffs as fitness, tying strategy to [[Evolution|evolution]] and [[Mathematical_and_theoretical_biology|mathematical biology]]; computation ties it to [[Computer_science|computer science]], [[Artificial_intelligence|artificial intelligence]], and the [[Multi-agent_system|multi-agent system]]; and the systems reading runs through [[Cybernetics|cybernetics]], [[Control_theory|control theory]], [[Information_theory|information theory]], and games on structures from [[Graph_theory|graph theory]] — the strategic layer of every [[Complex_system|complex system]] with a [[Mathematical_model|mathematical model]] underneath.
## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Game_theory)
## Previous hub tags
Hubs: `Systems`. Portals: [[PORTAL_Systems]], [[PORTAL_Game_theory]].