Game Theory

Game Theory

Instructors: Matthew O. Jackson

574,633 already enrolled

8 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4,914 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

92%

Most learners liked this course

8 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4,914 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

92%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

15 assignments

Taught in English

91% of learners achieved a positive career outcome

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

There are 8 modules in this course

Popularized by movies such as "A Beautiful Mind," game theory is the mathematical modeling of strategic interaction among rational (and irrational) agents. Beyond what we call `games' in common language, such as chess, poker, soccer, etc., it includes the modeling of conflict among nations, political campaigns, competition among firms, and trading behavior in markets such as the NYSE. How could you begin to model keyword auctions, and peer to peer file-sharing networks, without accounting for the incentives of the people using them? The course will provide the basics: representing games and strategies, the extensive form (which computer scientists call game trees), Bayesian games (modeling things like auctions), repeated and stochastic games, and more. We'll include a variety of examples including classic games and a few applications.

Introduction, overview, uses of game theory, some applications and examples, and formal definitions of: the normal form, payoffs, strategies, pure strategy Nash equilibrium, dominant strategies

What's included

11 videos2 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts

11 videosTotal 80 minutes

Introductory Video8 minutes
1-1 Game Theory Intro - TCP Backoff 11 minutes
1-2 Self-Interested Agents and Utility Theory 4 minutes
1-3 Defining Games 11 minutes
1-4 Examples of Games 6 minutes
1-5 Nash Equilibrium Intro 4 minutes
1-6 Strategic Reasoning 10 minutes
1-7 Best Response and Nash Equilibrium 3 minutes
1-8 Nash Equilibrium of Example Games 6 minutes
1-9 Dominant Strategies 8 minutes
1-10 Pareto Optimality 9 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Syllabus10 minutes
A Brief Introduction to the Basics of Game Theory10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

In-Video Quizzes Week 130 minutes
Problem Set 130 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Play the TCP game if you like10 minutes
Play some games after Lecture 1.4 if you like10 minutes
Play Keynes Beauty Contest Game if you like10 minutes

pure and mixed strategy Nash equilibria

What's included

7 videos2 assignments

7 videosTotal 76 minutes

2-1 Mixed Strategies and Nash Equilibrium (I) 3 minutes
2-2 Mixed Strategies and Nash Equilibrium (II)14 minutes
2-3 Computing Mixed Nash Equilibrium 12 minutes
2-4 Hardness Beyond 2x2 Games - Basic 5 minutes
2-4 Hardness Beyond 2x2 Games - Advanced 21 minutes
2-5 Example: Mixed Strategy Nash 11 minutes
2-6 Data: Professional Sports and Mixed Strategies 11 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

In-Video Quizzes Week 230 minutes
Problem Set 230 minutes

Iterative removal of strictly dominated strategies, minimax strategies and the minimax theorem for zero-sum game, correlated equilibria

What's included

6 videos2 assignments

6 videosTotal 64 minutes

3-1 Beyond the Nash Equilibrium 4 minutes
3-2 Strictly Dominated Strategies & Iterative Removal 20 minutes
3-3 Dominated Strategies & Iterative Removal: An Application 9 minutes
3-4 Maxmin Strategies 10 minutes
3-4 Maxmin Strategies - Advanced16 minutes
3-5 Correlated Equilibrium: Intuition 5 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

In-Video Quizzes Week 330 minutes
Problem Set 330 minutes

Perfect information games: trees, players assigned to nodes, payoffs, backward Induction, subgame perfect equilibrium, introduction to imperfect-information games, mixed versus behavioral strategies.

What's included

10 videos2 assignments2 discussion prompts

10 videosTotal 101 minutes

4-1 Perfect Information Extensive Form: Taste 4 minutes
4-2 Formalizing Perfect Information Extensive Form Games 6 minutes
4-3 Perfect Information Extensive Form: Strategies, BR, NE 14 minutes
4-4 Subgame Perfection 10 minutes
4-5 Backward Induction 13 minutes
4-6 Subgame Perfect Application: Ultimatum Bargaining18 minutes
4-7 Imperfect Information Extensive Form: Poker 4 minutes
4-8 Imperfect Information Extensive Form: Definition, Strategies 11 minutes
4-9 Mixed and Behavioral Strategies 9 minutes
4-10 Incomplete Information in the Extensive Form: Beyond Subgame Perfection 13 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

In-Video Quizzes Week 430 minutes
Problem Set 430 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Play the Centipede Game if you like10 minutes
Play the Rainbow Warship game if you like10 minutes

Repeated prisoners dilemma, finite and infinite repeated games, limited-average versus future-discounted reward, folk theorems, stochastic games and learning.

What's included

7 videos2 assignments2 discussion prompts

7 videosTotal 87 minutes

5-1 Repeated Games 6 minutes
5-2 Infinitely Repeated Games: Utility 7 minutes
5-3 Stochastic Games 6 minutes
5-4 Learning in Repeated Games 16 minutes
5-5 Equilibria of Infinitely Repeated Games 29 minutes
5-6 Discounted Repeated Games 13 minutes
5-7 A Folk Theorem for Discounted Repeated Games 11 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

In-Video Quizzes Week 530 minutes
Problem Set 530 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Play some repeated games if you like10 minutes
Play the repeated battle of the sexes game10 minutes

General definitions, ex ante/interim Bayesian Nash equilibrium.

What's included

6 videos2 assignments

6 videosTotal 53 minutes

6-1 Bayesian Games: Taste 6 minutes
6-2 Bayesian Games: First Definition 10 minutes
6-2 Bayesian Games: First Defintion (yoav)8 minutes
6-3 Bayesian Games: Second Definition 7 minutes
6-4 Analyzing Bayesian Games 11 minutes
6-5 Analyzing Bayesian Games: Another Example 10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

In-Video Quizzes Week 630 minutes
Problem Set 630 minutes

Transferable utility cooperative games, Shapley value, Core, applications.

What's included

5 videos2 assignments

The description goes here

What's included

1 assignment

Instructors

Instructor ratings

(788 ratings)

Matthew O. Jackson

Stanford University

3 Courses642,658 learners

Kevin Leyton-Brown

The University of British Columbia

2 Courses587,205 learners

Yoav Shoham

Stanford University

2 Courses587,205 learners

Offered by

Stanford University

The University of British Columbia

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

5 stars
71.95%
4 stars
21.91%
3 stars
3.78%
2 stars
1.15%
1 star
1.18%

Showing 3 of 4914

Reviewed on May 8, 2017

The course is generally good. The exercises however are not very well explained. Furthermore, it would be nice to have a pdf from the course in order to be able to study independently.

Reviewed on Jul 4, 2017

Course is really good. Covers a lot of content. One of the best places on the internet to learn game theory. Active discussion forum. Some more examples can be added as separate videos.

Reviewed on Dec 11, 2018

Amazing course! Gives great deal of insight into the subject! Just love the way Kevin explains! Matt could actually work on his stammering; or probably slow down a bit. The content was top notch! ;)

View more reviews

Unlock access to 10,000+ courses with a subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 4,700 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.