About Cooperation Dynamics

What is the Prisoner's Dilemma?

The Prisoner's Dilemma is one of the most famous concepts in game theory. It demonstrates why two rational individuals might not cooperate, even when it's in their best interest to do so.

In our game, you play 10 rounds against a computer opponent that uses one of several classic game theory strategies. Your goal is to maximize your score by choosing whether to cooperate or defect each round.

The Strategies

Our computer opponent randomly selects from these famous strategies:

• Always Cooperate: A trusting strategy that always cooperates.
• Always Defect: An aggressive strategy that never cooperates.
• Random: Makes random choices each round.
• Tit for Tat: Copies your previous move - starts cooperative.
• Grim Trigger: Cooperates until you defect, then defects forever.
• Pavlov: Repeats successful moves, changes after poor outcomes.
• Generous Tit for Tat: Like Tit for Tat but sometimes forgives defection.
• Suspicious Tit for Tat: Like Tit for Tat but starts with defection.
• Tit for Tat + Noise: Tit for Tat with occasional random moves.

Why This Game Matters

The Prisoner's Dilemma helps explain cooperation and conflict in everything from international relations to business negotiations to social interactions. Understanding these strategies can help you think more strategically about cooperation in real life.

Educational Purpose

This game is designed to teach concepts from game theory in an interactive and engaging way. It's perfect for students, educators, or anyone interested in strategic thinking and human behavior.

About This Project

Cooperation Dynamics is a free, browser-based educational game. All gameplay happens locally in your browser - no data is collected or stored. The game is open to everyone and requires no registration or downloads.