Humanities Information |
Game Theory - What Do Game Theory and Improv Theater Have in Common?
"Game" Theory This article was inspired by Mick Napier's book ?Improvise: scene from the inside out" in which he draws comparisons between Physics and Improvisation. It made me think - I know a little bit about game theory (I majored in it) and it has the word "game" in it, so chances are it'll have something in common with improvising, which is really nothing else but playing games. And, not so surprisingly, there are some rather powerful parallels: ? To make everybody look good, you have to have cooperation. You have probably heard of the prisoner's dilemma. It is about two suspects, who are separated and each asked to confess. If one confesses and the other denies, the first gets off easy, the other gets 10 years. Being a snitch pays off. If both confess they each get 5 years. If both deny just 1. So, obviously the best solution is for both to deny. But if this expected, they will deviate and confess. Actually, it is always better to confess! So if there are no other means of cooperation then both will confess and get 5 years, which is far from the best outcome where both get 1 year. This debunks effectively the notion that individual selfishness maximizes common welfare! The challenge here compares well with "going for the funny" (i.e. selfish behavior) in an improvised scene. If you do you'll get a laugh, sure. But if you both start going for the jokes you will look very silly. So, resist that urge and always play from the top of your intelligence. It's worth the effort. ? One of the most important things in improvisation is to be completely aware of everything going on in the scene. To be affected by it and not "script ahead" in your mind just to end up saying that stupid disconnected line that you thought would be so funny. In Game Theory too, this is an important rule. A strategy must be a best answer to the other players move. You must consider explicitly the reaction of the other players when you make your decision. Take the "winners curse" for example. You want to acquire a company that is worth somewhere between 0 and 100 dollars. Once you acquire the company it will be worth 1.5x that amount because of your better management. But here's the catch: only the seller knows what the actual worth is. So, what do you offer him? Take a second to think about your answer. Did you say 50 dollars? Because that is the expected value of the firm? You're in good company. But you were wrong. The correct answer is 0. Why 0? Well, let's say you offered $50 and the other party accepts. They will have only accepted your offer if the actual value is between 0 and 50 dollars, right? That means an expected value of $25. For you that is worth 1.5 times as much, or $37.5. The deal doesn't sound so good anymore? The same applies for every other amount offered. What you had to do to find this solution was simple enough: Put yourself in the other guy's shoes and think about your best answer to what she might do. Sound familiar? ? According to subgame perfectness you are not allowed to make unbelievable threats like "If you enter my market I will fight even though it costs me a lot of money", if this is not in your best interest once the event occurs. The way around this issue is to invest in "sunk cost". E.g. financial constructs, advertising, or your reputation that make it clear it will cost you dearly if you do not live up to your word. I.e. make it so expensive to bail that the threat once again becomes credible. In improvisation too you cannot bail on your offers. If you stuttered at the top of the scene, keep on stuttering. It's your contract with the audience. Yet, it is sometimes tempting to do so. Or, often you let go of it out of plain carelessness. So, invest highly at the top of the scene so it becomes impossible to go back. ? Trembling hand perfectness - Means you must have an answer even to the most irrational moves. What if you find yourself in a world that cannot exist (an "unreached information set")? E.g. your competitor makes an incredibly stupid mistake. And sells PCs direct to consumer, no intermediaries. Although you know so well how important service is to your customers. What if this happens? How do you react? Basically, game theory says you have to have an answer for these situations too. The parallel to Improv? It's almost too obvious isn't it: you always have to have an answer. Nothing should throw you off balance. There's a horse in your kitchen? Right where you're baking that cake? Fine, work with that. Pet the horse, ride it over to the sink, milk it. Do whatever comes naturally to your character. React sincerely to it and you will be rewarded with interesting scenes. This one touches the very heart of improvisation as well as so many other business or private challenges: Take everything as a gift and be enough of a person to accept it. Then add to it. Yes And! About the Author: Henrik Kiessler is currently global Manager for CRM at a large Pharmaceutical firm. He lives in Vienna, Austria. He studied Game Theory with the acclaimed Werner Gueth in Frankfurt. He studied improvisation in Chicago with Second City and the Annoyance theater. The currently performs with ImproX (http://improx.fesch.at) in Vienna.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Berenguer Sauniere - This Place is Terrible INSPIRATIONAL COMMENTS:"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." - Mayer Amschel Rothschild. Understanding Astrological Predictions Opinions about astrological prediction are generally divided: "Mysterious! Magical!", say some; "Nonsense!", reply others. In fact, both views are based on a misunderstanding of the nature of how astrology really "works". Ancient Indian Civilizations - Where Did They All Go? In 1350 AD we were still quite a few centuries from settling at Plymouth. I have been luckily in that I have found adequate records back to 1200s in my family tree. Native American Astrology: The Hawk (March 21 - April 19) The Hawk is the first sign of the Native American astrology, it heralds spring and the end of winter. If you are born under this sign, you were born at the "Time of Awakening". Smart Art Investments - Buy What You Love! Collecting art can be one of the most enjoyable ways to spend your money. But a painting can provide you with more than just viewing pleasure. Building Catapults Required Engineering Know How When building catapults, armies had to include in their ranks those people capable of employing complicated mathematical formulas and turning them into machines of war.While their appearance on the warfare scene dramatically changed tactics for quite literally hundreds of years, it was no easy task for medieval armies to create the machines of war they needed to help ensure victory. Her Last Day in Court "Ron, I can't take much more of his sleazy behavior! I really don't think you are going to win this case for me anyway. I've lost everything; at least I can have the pleasure of making sure the jury knows their judge is another sexual power tripper, going in to his chambers to satisfy himself with the bailiff while he screws me over under the law! I don't. Export/Import of Inuit Eskimo Art Sculpture Containing Whalebone or Ivory The export of certain Inuit sculpture from Canada to other parts of the world including the United States does have some restrictions. In order to reduce harvesting of marine animals such as whales and walruses, the United States Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. The Daily Show is a Must See on Comedy Central Doesn't it seem that today there is nothing but bleak reports to hear on the news? Watching the news can give you a feeling that the world is coming to an end. Hope can be found on Comedy Central by means of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. How to Clean Your Civil War Uniform How necessary is cleaning your Civil War Uniform?The every day Confederate or Union soldier's uniform was actually never made to be washed. They wore out so fast that many of them were never cleaned - ever. When We Was Kids In Chicago (Part 2) From an early age my Mother sent me to the schools, she thought, would do the best for my education. Whether or not, my Father agreed, mattered little. Mars, the Mighty and Marvelous Martius, the month of March, is named after him. So is the fourth planet from the sun and a bar of chocolate, but we know him mainly as the god of war. The Birth Of Eskimo Inuit Art Prints Unlike Inuit sculpture, art prints from the Canadian Arctic are a twentieth century innovation in Inuit Eskimo art. One of the most significant events that happened during the development of contemporary Inuit art was when Canadian James Houston taught the Inuit to make art prints by incising designs into linoleum tiles, stone blocks and stencils from sealskins. Precious Stones -The Big Five: Part 1, The Emerald The emerald is probably the most rare of all precious stones and is considered by some to be even more valuable than the diamond. Compared with other precious stones the emerald in its occurrence in nature is unique, for it is found in the rock in which it was formed. Marilyn Monroe and Mary Jo Kopechne I doubt Marilyn Monroe was anything but a confused star-struck drug-using individual with some gifts and talents that the Kennedy boys enjoyed. But she may have been so obsessed with them that she would have threatened to tell some of what she knew and she did have the attention of the people and media. Accurate Psychic Advice Psychic readings can be an invaluable tool for obtaining answers to your most confusing questions. A psychic reading can help you gain insight regarding your love life, family, career, finances and more!We invite you to select a psychic and begin your personal and confidential psychic reading today!Quality Psychic AdvisorsUnlike most other "live psychic advice" web sites, all psychic readers obtained by Accurate Psychic Advice have been hand selected based on their area of psychic reading expertise!Accurate Psychic Advice also provides you with personal profiles of each psychic reader. Tarot Cards Demystified: The Suit of Pentacles There are many ways to interpret the symbolism found in Tarot Cards. There are varying points of view that exist about what each card means or represents. Mexican Living: Myth Busting Myth One: Mexicans are lazy, good-for-nothings.I mention this one first because it is one of the vilest myths and an excellent example of Americans' xenophobic stereotyping. Fancy Dress Parties Fancy dress parties have been around since for centuries and were particularly popular in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Italy is particularly well known for contributing to the popularity of fancy dress parties. Thaitsuki Nihonto Samurai Swords: Leading The Way So why are these swords so popular? There are several reasons but number one is quality. The Thaitsuki swords are handmade by trained craftsman in using a family method over 200 years old. |
home | site map | contact us |