Game Theory, Role Playing Games, and Group Work

Game Theory was created in the 1940s by a mathematician named Von Newmann. Game Theory is about choices. It's about cause and effect. It's about decision-making in the big picture. Well, both finite and infinite. But, this is all interactive. You and me. We. Us. Together. I make a choice and it affects you, but you are thinking about what I am going to do and so you think about what you are going to do instead, and so forth. An example from pop culture is from The Princess Bride:

In Game Theory there are two types of games: finite games and infinite games. "Finite games are bound by specific rules about how players win and lose, how many players there are in the game, time limits, etc, and the goal is definite: to win. Infinite games, on the other hand, are not bound by specific rules about how players win and lose, there are no time limits, no limits on how many players, etc, and the goal is indefinite: to continue playing," according to James Carse.

Role-playing games (RPG), are at their center. also embrace Game theory and an old RPG, one that has been made popular through such shows as The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things, is Dungeons and Dragons. I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1979. Here is a photo of me in high school. My junior year. I'm in the far back. In the middle.

Dungeons and Dragons is both infinite and finite. There is no "winner" like in traditional board or card games. No one shouts "Uno!" in D&D. The game goes on and on as long as there are players willing to continue their characters. The only reason why my character ceased to exist in the high school game was that when I graduated I joined the Army. BTW, I still have that character today. He's what we call a Non-Player Character. Someone who works with the players, but is controlled by the Dungeon Master. Anyhow, Within D&D are infinite goals or mini-games. Quests. Players go off to slay a party of Goblins blocking the trade route between Port Bernard and the communities in the Sweeping Plains. Or return a magic ring to its rightful heir. Or, a biggie, enter the Abyssal plane to foment war among demons in order to stop their incursion into the Material plane. A counter-argument is that you need to separate the player from the character. For the player, the game is infinite. For the character, the game contains finite objectives.   

So how does D&D relate to game theory? That should be pretty obvious. Players make choices, and those choices affect each other (the party). The Party works together to complete an immediate goal such as winning a battle, finding and dismantling a trap, or solving a puzzle. But those choices/decisions have an effect upon sentient beings who are anticipating the party's actions. Those sentient beings are being played by what is called the Dungeon Master (me).

Yes, D&D is a game. But those who play learn so much such as creativity, team building, conflict resolution, collaboration, developing best practices, innovation, and problem-solving, to name a few. 

I use D&D in my classes. For the first two weeks, we play D&D. Depending on the size of the class either each student plays their own character or a small group of students plays a character mutually agreed on.

There are all sorts of "ice breakers." I use D&D to get students talking. But it's more than that. They begin the process of developing skills they will need to succeed in my class and beyond. AND, they begin to formulate those bonds necessary for successful groups. You see, all of my assignments are completed in groups. So two weeks of D&D gets students working as a group even before they need to begin working as a group for a grade (actually my classes are ungraded -that's an earlier post). They get to know each other. They work with each other for short and long-term goals. 

And then there will be times during the semester when students (or me) need a break and so we will play D&D for a while. A much-needed respite and they still learn, such as conflict resolution, innovation, and collaboration. 

I have found a clear connection between Game Theory, Role Playing Games, and successful group work. It's Dungeon and Dragons. A game created by E. Gary Gygax a lifetime ago. Well, 1974.