This is an interactive exercise that illustrates prisoner?s dilemma negotiation strategy. Pitted against ?Serendip? (the computer) in a quest for gold coins, the student chooses to either ?cooperate? with or ?cheat? against Serendip in each round in order to maximize his/her financial pay off. Serendip uses a simple ?tit for tat? strategy.
Type of Material:
Tutorial
Technical Requirements:
Internet Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The goal is for students to understand that frequently cooperation is necessary to maximize one?s own utility. A competitive posture will not, in every situation, result in the greatest payoff. The key is to determine when it is best to compete and when it is best to cooperate.
Given this learning goal, the module could be used to:
1. Have students ?discover? these principles by playing several rounds of the game and reflecting about the outcomes.
2. Help students understand these principles after they read or hear about them in class.
Target Student Population:
This module would be appropriate for undergraduate or graduate students.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The module may require readings/lectures in negotiation strategy or conflict resolution if the module is being used for purposes of illustration or reinforcement.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This is a simple game that is easy to play and engaging. It challenges the user to repeat the game several times to try and compare payoffs of different strategies. Ultimately, it illustrates an interesting characteristic of a zero-sum-game ? the ?best? strategy for the user is likely to be one that increases payoffs to Serendip (the challenger) as well.
Throughout the game, the user has the option to go to ?what?s so important about this game,? a link that describes the objective and theoretical bases of the game and directs users to other resources about Prisoner?s Dilemma. The ?abbreviated text book on game theory? provides a particularly interesting historical perspective about the game.
Concerns:
This simulation is simple enough that students may decipher Serendip?s strategy fairly quickly, quite possibly before the ?Wizard? (the software host) considers the game complete. Students may find it repetitive to continue play until the conclusion of the game.
While the game is ?self-contained,? its simplicity may make it seem unrealistic. Given this, it may be most useful as an exercise to start a session or discussion about more complex negotiation strategies and issues.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This game is very clearly formatted, making it relatively quick and easy to play. When students are offered the option of playing again after each game, they are also given the option of linking back to review the rules of the game. The fantasy setting including a ?wizard? and ?gold coins? and an ?Inconceivable Foul Fate? make the game seem more interesting.
Concerns:
Without a context, the rules of the game (first screen player encounters) can be a bit overwhelming. The subsequent game is clearly formatted, however, so it is very simple to play even if the student skips the game?s instructions. The only exception to this is that the game?s instructions do not explain what is meant by the ?cheat? option. If the user goes back to the instructions for clarification,
they won?t find it. The term ?cheat? appears to be used as a synonym with the terms ?take advantage of each other,? ?competition,? and ?outdo one another? in the game?s instructions ? and it is not clear that these terms are really synonyms. If this were explained to students, they may realize the theoretical underpinnings of the game more quickly, making the game even more powerful as a learning tool.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The Prisoner?s Dilemma is a good demonstration of the cooperation principle to achieve win-win outcomes. The software tracks players? cumulative and average per round performance throughout the game, and at the end of each game, the user is prompted to reflect about the effectiveness of his or her strategy. The user is also given the option of playing the game again to try a different strategy.
From a user control standpoint, the game enables the student to chose his or her own approach to learn the concepts taught ? students could work through the game to ?discover? the most effective strategy(ies), or they could link to ?what?s so important about this game? to read the theoretical bases first, then work through the game as an illustration.
The objective of the game is not clearly identified at its beginning, but rather, it is embedded in the ?what?s so important about this game? link. This enables the game to be used as an experiential learning exercise.
Concerns:
This exercise does not illustrate perhaps a more important principle when trying to achieve win-win outcome ? ?cheating.? In other words, the competitor might promise to cooperate but then change his or her mind later and compete instead. Students need to understand that potential dilemma; the win-win strategy requires trust. If the instructor does not establish a context for the game, it may seem unrealistic and irrelevant.
The student has to do some manual record keeping of game results to be able to compare results between various games/approaches. Instructors may find it helpful to include this record keeping as part of the assignment.
Creative Commons:
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