Probability and Game Theory
Probability and Game Theory is a Math course in the CTY program. It requires previous enrollment outside of CTY in Algebra I. Its course code is GAME, and it is offered at Carlisle, Lancaster, Los Angeles, and Saratoga Springs.
Course Description
Game theory is the field of study concerning conflict and cooperation between rational players, with applications in such diverse fields as labor bargaining, Rawlsian ethics, and evolutionary biology. In this course, students study the basics of strategic action. Subjects covered include decision theory, game matrices, optimization algorithms, auctions, fair division, and classic games including the Prisoner's Dilemma, Stag Hunt, Chicken, and Nim. Students sometimes play rock, paper, scissors or Risk in class as demonstrations.
Class History
You will come to know and love Colin, Rose, and sometimes Larry.
Game Theory teaches how to get what's best for you in certain situations, disregarding what's best for Player 2, and ironically, at CAR 06.2 this class was next to the Ethics class. The members of the Game Theory class at CAR 06.2 also produced the Cucumber Cult, and also spawned many games (more info on the Cucumber Cult page).
At Carlisle, members of the Game Theory class also consistently do well at Casino Night. However, at LMU, the boy halls of Game Theory do badly. In 07.2, the guys got 16th[?] and in 08.1, the boys did badly. In 08.2, the boys did extremely badly, ending up as the second to last placing hall. (this may have been because the GAME boys gave money to the GAME girls). The girl halls tend to do pretty well: in 07.2, the game girl[and the hall she was in] got 2nd, and in 08.2, the GAME girls got 6th.
- Random Fact: in LMU, the GAME girls hall duct taped staff members to a tree in 07.2 and 08.2. (Although the 07.2 hall can hardly be called the "GAME girls hall," since it consisted of one girl from GAME and 10 from ETYM.)
At LMU 08.2, the students spent several classes playing online Deal or No Deal™. The game was often laced with heated arguments about which case to open (23!!!), and whether the expected value of the game was more important than winning money. In the casino that was run at the end of the session, there were two versions of Deal or No Deal, which people enjoyed because it was easy to win money from the game.
At Skidmore, all members of the Game Theory class hate it, if you are going to be at skidmore, you should NOT take this class. You may be proud afterwords, but it really puts a downer on everyone in class and you won't have a very happy group of people to hang out with.
Coming from a formal student of Game Theory at SAR 12.1, Game Theory itself is a very interesting. The materials taught is difficult, however it's shown how Game Theory and it's subbranches such as Linear Programming have many real-life applications. The teacher, David Vella, on the other hand... Let's just say I fell asleep a couple times during class. Anyone from that class reading this will instantly know who I am.
To the above person, I am sorry, but if you think you will ever apply this class to real life, you will never be able to, even if you try very hard. I took this is class 09.1 in Skidmore, with the same teacher, and I have yet to ever use this class in my life.
LAN 13.1 had an awesome teacher and had fun in class. However, it was often so cold in the classroom that the students brought blankets to class, resulting in several of them falling asleep.
SAR 13.1 represent. Amazing year.
SAR 14.1 The subject its self is fairly interesting but the teaching was sometimes hard to follow, the teacher (David Vella) went through the material quickly. the first week and a half is just teaching math like set theory to prepare the students for the game theory part. If you think that this course is all about playing games its not… You play about three different games. Although many expect the GAME students to do well on casino night, they are very wrong, their halls got close to last. Game theory had four girls and eleven boys. In the end, you feel very accomplished and tired after a whole three weeks of staring at a board covered with math.
