The Game Theorist
A caped Game Theorist refuses to rescue dangling children until he's analyzed the payoff matrix of the iterated hero–villain game, arguing that a strategic defection now would deter future crime.
Content note: Children in peril (cartoonish).
Use this cartoon
Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2023-01-01-the-game-theorist/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] [Children in a net dangle from a branch over a cliff] A: "Thank goodness you're here, Game Theorist! Save the children!" Game Theorist (in a cape): "Not so fast. Is this an iterated game?"
[2] Game Theorist: "Are we going to get stuck in an equilibrium where villains keep threatening children and I keep saving them, thereby ensuring that the criminals avoid the maximal prison sentence?" A: "Um… what?"
[3] Game Theorist (beside a payoff matrix): "A strategic defection here could potentially prevent a lot of crime in the long run." [Matrix, Villain: Abduct/Don't vs. Hero: Save/Don't] Abduct & Save: Hero +50, Villain +50 · Abduct & Don't: Hero −100, Villain −50 · Don't & Save: Hero +100, Villain +0 · Don't & Don't: Hero +100, Villain +0
[4] A: "But the children, Game Theorist! Think of the children!" Game Theorist: "I'm the only one who is."