The Game Is On!

A book review on Len Fisher's Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life         

          “Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Ayo, GG!

        

            A friend of mine (let me emphasize that he is a guy), is really fond of playing online games (well we all know, GUYS). Once I heard him saying the words, “Ayaw ana bai, ma-GG ta ana… (Don’t do that, we may get GG-ed…”. I asked him where he got that term and what those two G’s were and he just simply answered “…from the online game, it means Good Game”. Such simple words made me think deep: what could those words really meant?

The Game We Call Life

            Rock, Paper, Scissors. In my town, we call it “Pick”. Others call it “Jack-n-Poy” and “Bato Bato Pick”. It’s really just a childish game for me, but not until I read Len Fisher’s book having the same title.

            In this everyday game we play, call it “life”, the mechanics are not quite easy if you think about it. It involves the venue, the situation, and the players in the game. It’s not gonna be an easy fight. It’s not about how you win or how you lose, but how well you’ve played it. However, Len Fisher adds up a certain spice to heat up the game, that is, the idea of cooperation.

            From the systems inside an individual’s body to the dispute of national territories, I can say cooperation is there. Body systems such as the circulatory, digestive, nervous, respiratory, excretory, reproductive all works in cooperation to keep us alive and functioning. When this individual goes to work, he is involved with different types of people, and to keep the work going, they cooperate with each other to finish the job. This is how cooperation works. However, we cannot deny the fact that every person has his own soul, own mind, and own selfishness.

Life’s Catch-22

            Fisher presented many examples of how selfishness and cooperation of an individual can occur at the same time, leading to a very difficult dilemma. Among them are the Prisoner’s dilemma which I really found fascinating, the cake-slicing theory which is brilliant, and the Seven Deadly Dilemmas which were a big WOW for me. This dilemma which can be present at such various situations is very powerful that it can lead to the loss of one individual to the destruction of the whole group, in short, Game Theory.

            Game Theory is a new term in my vocabulary and it really caught my attention the first time I saw it printed on the book. I thought it was some kind of game, although the book title itself says so. However, bringing this Game Theory concept that can be applied in almost everything is also amusing. It also implies that a “win-win” situation can be achievable if and only if cooperation is solid among interacting individuals. Cheating is also emphasized on the book, which probably is the main act an individual does when he or she is situated in such problem. When selfishness comes up to mind, an individual chooses to protect himself or herself than to protect everyone, which I think is the main point of the book.

The Viewpoint

            “But there is another side to game theory—a side that concerns cooperation rather than confrontation, collaboration rather than competition."

            As a biology student, I am also amused by how the author has incorporated biological concepts in a philosophical work. Like the incorporation of Game Theory to the concepts of evolution, natural selection, and survival of the fittest by Charles Darwin was worth mentioning. Also, the author termed competition as “Hawk-Dove” relationship due to the strategy animals do in protecting itself: either be brave and fight back or act to be brave enough to scare your predator.

            The book was really fun to read. As I have mentioned, it was the first time Game Theory was introduced to me, so it gave me the excitement. The book was so understandable since it used simple words that can be understood by a common or new reader like me. Having the game Rock, Paper, Scissors as a tool to solve international disputes is enough for me to be caught by this book. The book was not just merely to describe others when situated to this dilemma of cooperation and selfishness, but I think it also reflected me as a person, since I can relate to the examples and situations Fisher said. It has happened many times already and it gave me an understanding of a behavior I was fully unaware of. However, as the author came up with many different situations, his suggestions to the end part was not quite good, because I do not fully agree on the ten tips he presented like bring an extra player in and the creation of a situation that neither party can independently escape from without loss.

            In general, I was really entertained by the book as it gave everyday-life situations that common readers can relate to. Game Theory can be applied on any discipline, which can be very intriguing and substantial to the society. Len Fisher has succeeded in introducing me into this fun side of anthropogenic behavior.

Conclusion

            Being involved in cooperation is a nice way to develop oneself, although it is very complicated to perfect it. But it does not require to be perfected, but to be demonstrated and acted out, because in cooperation there is trust, and when there is trust, there is peace.

            In short, “Good Game!”

Total word count: 914(excluding title and subtitles)