The Joy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking

Presh Talwalkar's "Joy of Game Theory" is an entertaining and very easy read. The strength of the book is the number and variety of examples from everyday life. An excellent way indeed to drive the points home and underscore their practical relevance. Presh peppers the narrative with anecdotes from his own life, which makes you feel you already know him before having met him! He does not like spicy food!! For me, three take-home lessons here . First, how the Talmud recommends splitting a given sum of money among claimants (actually a generalization). Two principles at work here. One is equalizing the % of amount paid to amount owed (this is when the total amount to pay out is relatively small - actually less than the amount such that the smallest claimant gets 50% when it is split equally among the claimants). The second is to equalize the unpaid amount (difference between amount owed and amount paid) when the amount to pay out is larger. The second is the Braess Paradox which has to do with the fact that having more roads may not reduce but actually increase traffic. In essence, this is because a fast route for one person is a fast route in everyone's eyes, which means a very slow route when everyone takes that route. The third point is to model jealousy as the difference in payoffs between players.

Anyone with no prior experience can follow along this book and understand it. The author has a very simple style of writing which is easy to comprehend and follow along . The concepts are easy to understand and does develop an appreciation for the subject and leave the reader wanting to learn more which speaks a lot about the author . I want to further read more books from this author . At some times I do think that the author could have covered smaller number of things and gone a little more in depth . Many of the topics I felt I want to know more and understand better . Overall highly recommended.

I always thought that exploring game theory requires a solid mathematical framework, because the matter is inherently counter-intuitive and the results are a good step away from every day. Instead Presh Talwakar makes here a little miracle, and combines his knowledge of game theory and the huge experience in popularising it on his blog into a well-structured and surprisingly clear discussion of many core topics, even with little or no math. The storytelling is rich of amusing anecdotes and witty comments, that ease the understanding of problem solving frameworks, and the frequently paradoxical conclusions. The chapters are completed by an interesting bibliography that allows the willing reader to take the reasoning on a more technical ground. Bravo!

It's a nice a simplified approach to game theory. Too basic for my taste but interesting nonetheless. It's a good starter book for those wanting to get the gist of game theory. In the end of the book he provided very good sources for those wanting to go deeper with game theory. Nice and easy read for entertainment purposes.

This was a very quick but enjoyable read introducing basic concepts of game theory. The writing style is good with well written examples of concepts. If you have read the author's 'Art of Strategy', some of the examples are the same and there is a bit of overlap with that publication. If you are looking to dip your toes into game theory, this is a good start and can easily be read in few sittings.

I use this book in my high school math classes to foster discussion on game theory (and mathematical modeling in general). I love how he brings in real-world examples of these principles in action, allowing my students to connect with the problems on a practical level. The less formal style (since most were originally blog posts) allows readers to engage on a much deeper cognitive level than the glossy-eyed textbook reading we see so often. As a side note, I enjoyed it for myself as well. I love new ways of looking at problems and, never having taken a game theory course in college, this was an accessible entry point.

An amazing book by Presh Talwalkar. Explains the difficult concepts of Game Theory in a very a simple way. No matter what your level of expertise, you can learn something from this book. The author keeps you engaged throughout the book. Read cover to cover in 3 days. Some of my favorite topics/chapters were- i) South West Airlines makes $144 Million ii) 4 tips for winning the game of chicken iii) Credible threats iv) The ultimatum game v) The dollar auction game

Lots of real life application and sound advice from a game theory perspective. I used this book to create a simple introduction designed for high school students, and the first half worked very well. The second half of the book, however is more random, and doesn't follow easily from section to section. Nevertheless, this is a great general read with lots to learn.

I wanted a conceptual introduction to game theory to understand its principles and applications This book introduces concepts such as Nash equilibrium and co-operative games through relatable examples The models of certain problems seem a bit too simplistic at times and the author acknowledges it. I recommended it it's brevity and content

This is really good introduction to game theory with practical examples.

I think the title chosen her l for the book is apt. It does give a good introduction to the game theory concept. There is more to read and know but reading this little book will help you if you want to read more about the game theory and it's beauty.

Fun read

I was very pleased with this book. Going into it, I was slightly worried about the topic being hard for me to comprehend, but the author presents things in a very easy to understand manor. The book has a good pace to it, no dragging chapters, but well many presented scenarios with some visuals to help. You have to know going into it that not everyone acts purely logically. I find this book sometimes presents "logic" as strictly financial gains, whereas I don't think that's always what logic is. Eg: something along the lines of "Logically, if you can screw someone over for slight financial gain, you will" But in the true game of life, I think acting honestly in your relationships and transactions give you a better chance at participating in and winning more "games" in life. Even if you may get short term financial gains by being sleazy. That being said, this book is very insightful and applicable to many aspects of life. Even just being aware or some of these things is worth the price of the book hands down. Totally recommend.