Level 6: Seeing Life as a Game
At first glance, game theory seems like something only economists or mathematicians care about. But step back, and we’ll notice its patterns everywhere. It’s in politics, in business, in evolution, and even in the smallest choices we make every day.
Think back to what we’ve covered in this series:
Prisoner’s Dilemma reveals how fear can trap two rational people into worse outcomes.
Stag Hunt shows how trust can lead to bigger rewards.
Nash equilibrium helps us find the steady states where no one benefits from changing their choice alone.
Mixed strategies teach us that unpredictability is an important strategy, and how to solve for balance using expected value.
Evolutionary game theory demonstrates how nature “plays the game” even when no one is choosing consciously.
When we see life through that lens, everyday situations start to look different. Splitting chores with a roommate? Deciding how generous to be in a negotiation? The point isn’t to turn every decision into a calculation; it’s to realize that these aren’t just random choices. They are games shaped by expectations, trust, and the strategies of the people around us.
Game theory doesn’t always tell us what to do, but it somehow gives us a new way to see the world. It explains why trust is so valuable, why cooperation can be broken easily, and why unpredictability can be powerful. Then we can see how it shows us that life is a series of games, with different rules and payoffs. And like in any game, once we start noticing the patterns, we can play a little smarter.
This wraps up our series on game theory. We’ve talked about classic scenarios like the Prisoner’s Dilemma, explored mixed strategies, Nash equilibrium, expected value, and even seen how nature and evolution “play games.” Thanks for reading along. I hope this gave you a new lens for everyday life.
