# Prisoner's dilemma
## MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** evolutionary game / agent-based
- **Microsimmability score:** 82/100
- **Layout:** drawing region (canvas) on top; control region (sliders/buttons) below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Temptation payoff`
- `Initial cooperators`
- `Noise`
### What animates
Cooperators and defectors compete on a grid, and clusters of cooperation grow or shrink with the payoffs.
### Learning objective
Show how cooperation can survive against the temptation to defect.
## Links (Wikipedia order)
<!-- injected from _registry/childlinks/Prisoner's_dilemma.json (2026-07-30T02:09:12Z) -->
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> p5.js MicroSim stub · part of Systems Thinking · [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma)
> Relation: subfield of systems thinking.
## Concept summary
The prisoner's dilemma is a [[Game_theory|game theory]] thought experiment involving two rational agents, each of whom can either cooperate for mutual benefit or betray their partner ("defect") for individual gain. The dilemma arises from the fact that while defecting is rational for each agent, cooperation yields ...
## Build checklist
- [ ] Claim it: set `status: in-progress` + `lease` + `leased_at`
- [ ] Write the child page explaining the concept (tie it back to systems thinking)
- [ ] Finalize parameter ranges and defaults
- [ ] Implement the p5.js sketch (drawing + control regions)
- [ ] Add caption + the learning objective on the page
- [ ] Set `status: done`
## p5.js sketch
```javascript
// MicroSim: Prisoner's dilemma
let controls = {};
function setup() {
// createCanvas(...); create sliders for the parameters above.
}
function draw() {
// background(...); read controls; render evolutionary game / agent-based; respond live.
}
```
---
Back to Systems Thinking · Wikipedia: [Prisoner's dilemma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma)
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## Semiotic profile
> *The semiotic universals this article invokes, machine-derived from the crossref — **unverified** (born so). Populated 2026-07-06 for the Systems room.*
**Universals (3):** 🟡 system (10) · 🟡 science (5) · 🟢 noise (1)
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## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner's_dilemma) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Prisoner's_dilemma)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parents: [[Agent-based_model]] · [[Complex_system]] · [[Cybernetics]] · [[Decision_theory]] · [[Emergence]] · [[Feedback]] · [[Game_theory]] · [[Self-organization]] · [[Systems_science]] · [[Systems_theory]].
Legacy hubs: none.
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*Sources: 2 legacy notes. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*