中级微观经济学——理论与应用（第10版）（经济学经典教材·双语教学用书） 作者 尼克尔森等 著 0324319681_67668.pptVIP

Chapter 6 Game Theory Basic Concepts All games have three basic elements: Players Strategies Payoffs Players can make binding agreements in cooperative games, but can not in noncooperative games, which are studied in this chapter. Players A player is a decision maker and can be anything from individuals to entire nations. Players have the ability to choose among a set of possible actions. Games are often characterized by the fixed number of players. Generally, the specific identity of a play is not important to the game. Strategies A strategy is a course of action available to a player. Strategies may be simple or complex. In noncooperative games each player is uncertain about what the other will do since players can not reach agreements among themselves. Payoffs Payoffs are the final returns to the players at the conclusion of the game. Payoffs are usually measure in utility although sometimes measure monetarily. In general, players are able to rank the payoffs from most preferred to least preferred. Players seek the highest payoff available. Equilibrium Concepts In the theory of markets an equilibrium occurred when all parties to the market had no incentive to change his or her behavior. When strategies are chosen, an equilibrium would also provide no incentives for the players to alter their behavior further. The most frequently used equilibrium concept is a Nash equilibrium. Nash Equilibrium The most widely used approach to defining equilibrium in games is that proposed by Cournot and generalized in the 1950s by John Nash. A Nash equilibrium is a set of strategies, one for each player, that are each best responses against one another. Nash Equilibrium In a two-player games, a Nash equilibrium is a pair of strategies (a*,b*) such that a* is an optimal strategy for A against b* and b* is an optimal strategy for B against A*. Players can not benefit from knowing the equilibrium strategy of their opponents. Not every game has a Nash equilibrium, and some games may