This course provides a brief introduction to game theory. Our main goal is to understand the basic ideas behind the key concepts in game theory, such as equilibrium, rationality, and cooperation. The course uses very little mathematics, and it is ideal for those who are looking for a conceptual introduction to game theory.
Business competition, political campaigns, the struggle for existence by animals and plants, and so on, can all be regarded as a kind of “game,” in which individuals try to do their best against others. Game theory provides a general framework to describe and analyze how individuals behave in such “strategic” situations.
This course focuses on the key concepts in game theory, and attempts to outline the informal basic ideas that are often hidden behind mathematical definitions. Game theory has been applied to a number of disciplines, including economics, political science, psychology, sociology, biology, and computer science. Therefore, a warm welcome is extended to audiences from all fields who are interested in what game theory is all about.
Welcome to Game Theory
Offered By
The University of Tokyo
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
14 hours to complete
Why Do We Need Game Theory, and What Does it Tell Us?
Is it possible to analyze a wide variety of social and economic problems using a unified framework? In the first module, we address this question. We will see that the concept of rational decision making is useful, but it is not quite sufficient to provide governing principles. Motivated examples and some history of game theory will be provided. You will also be asked to play a simple card game to see how it feels to make your decisions strategically.
12 videos (Total 91 min), 6 readings, 5 quizzes
12 videos
1-1 What is Game Theory? 8m
1-2 Modelling Social Problems as a "Game" 12m
1-3 In Search for the Governing Principle10m
1-4 Concerns About a Mathematical Theory of Human Behavior 7m
1-5 Let's Play a Game 6m
Card Game Tutorial (No Audio)2m
1-6 John Nash Discovered the Governing Principle 6m
1-7 Nash Equilibrium9m
1-8 Traffic Game in Reality 7m
1-9 Location Game 6m
1-10 Policies of Two Parties 10m
6 readings
Course Description10m
Syllabus10m
Card Game Challenge Instruction10m
(Supplementary Reading Material) Convergence to Nash Equilibrium in the Traffic Game10m
About Optional Challenge Problems2m
Supplemental explanation for Question 1, 2 and 310m
5 practice exercises
Practice Quiz 1.12m
Practice Quiz 1.24m
Practice Quiz 1.32m
Graded Quiz 114m
Module 1 Optional Challenge Problemss
Week
23 hours to complete
Understanding Nash equilibrium
The basic solution concept of game theory is Nash equilibrium. In Module 2, we try to understand this central concept through various examples and ask the following crucial question: how do players come to play a Nash equilibrium?
10 videos (Total 89 min), 1 reading, 5 quizzes
10 videos
2-2 Coordination Game and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy 9m
2-3 Market Competition 11m
2-4 Why Do People Come to Play Nash Equilibrium? Part I7m
2-5 Why Do People Come to Play Nash Equilibrium? Part II 7m
2-6 Why Do People Come to Play Nash Equilibrium? Part III 7m
2-7 Stylized Facts and Nash Equilibrium 5m
2-8 Make Yourself Unpredictable: Mixed Strategy Equilibrium 7m
2-9 Sports Games and Game Theory 10m
2-10 Nash Equilibrium Exists in All Games 11m
1 reading
About Optional Challenge Problems2m
5 practice exercises
Practice Quiz 2.14m
Practice Quiz 2.24m
Practice Quiz 2.34m
Graded Quiz 214m
Module 2 Optional Challenge Problemss
Week
34 hours to complete
Rationality, Knowledge, and Evolution in Games
In Module 3, we will dig deeper into the relationship between rationality and Nash equilibrium. We will consider the whole spectrum of possible intellectual capacities of players, spanning the range from unlimited ability for sophisticated reasoning to absolute zero intelligence. In the end, you will see that Nash equilibrium can emerge under a fairly wide range of intellectual capacities of players.
9 videos (Total 94 min), 3 readings, 5 quizzes
9 videos
3-2 Digression: How You Played the Card Game and Addressing the Concerns about Game Theory15m
3-3 “Payoffs” in a Game: What Exactly Are Those Numbers? 9m
3-4 What Does it Mean That a Player is Rational? 6m
3-5 Domination: Strategies That Are “Obviously Good or Bad”10m
3-6 Common Knowledge of Rationality 10m
3-7 Low Rationality: What Happens if Players Are Not Very Smart?7m
3-8 Game Theory Under Zero-Intelligence: Biological Evolution 10m
3-9 Fig Wasps Play a Nash Equilibrium 11m
3 readings
Aggregated Result of the Card Game Challenge10m
About Optional Challenge Problems2m
Supplemental explanation for Question 3 and 410m
5 practice exercises
Practice Quiz 3.12m
Practice Quiz 3.24m
Practice Quiz 3.34m
Graded Quiz 314m
Module 3 Optional Challenge Problems20m
Week
44 hours to complete
Sustaining Cooperation
The final module is devoted to the most important and most general message of game theory: rational behavior quite often leads to a socially undesirable outcome. We will first try to understand the basic reason for this, and then see how this insight of game theory has made fundamental impacts in the natural and social sciences. Finally, we will learn some general methods to overcome this problem.
11 videos (Total 123 min), 2 readings, 5 quizzes
11 videos
4-2 Why is Group Rationality Different From Rationality of Individuals? 10m
4-3 Group Rationality vs. Rationality of Individuals in Biological Evolution 11m
4-4 Group Rationality vs. Rationality of Individuals in Social Thought 11m
4-5 How to Enforce Socially Desirable Outcomes13m
4-6 Cooperation of gas Stations in Long-Term Relationship Part I: Need For Cooperation 12m
4-7 Cooperation of Gas Stations in Long-Term Relationship Part II: Mechanism of Cooperation11m
4-8 Reputation and Brand Name10m
4-9 Cooperation in Loosely Knit Organization14m
4-10 Summary of the Course 13m
Final Message from the Instructor4m
2 readings
(Supplementary Reading Material) Why People Discount Future Payoff ?10m
About Optional Challenge Problems2m
5 practice exercises
Practice Quiz 4.12m
Practice Quiz 4.22m
Practice Quiz 4.32m
Graded Quiz 414m
Module 4 Optional Challenge Problems20m
4.6
204 Reviews30%
started a new career after completing these courses
42%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
25%
got a pay increase or promotion
Top Reviews
This is a very good introduction to game theory having never before studied this subject I have found that the Lectures are easy to understand and flow very well from one to the other.
Simple to follow, focuses on introducing basic concepts rather than the math. Could be more in-depth though. Nonetheless, great precursor to the Game Theory course from Stanford.
Instructor
Michihiro Kandori
University ProfessorFaculty of Economics
About The University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo was established in 1877 as the first national university in Japan. As a leading research university, UTokyo offers courses in essentially all academic disciplines at both undergraduate and graduate levels and conducts research across the full spectrum of academic activity.
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