Jucătorul ingenios: teoria jocurilor și arta transformării situațiilor strategice

by David McAdams

Jucătorul ingenios expune amănunțit șase modalități de bază de schimbare a jocului – angajament, reglementare, cartelare, represalii, încredere și relații – însuflețite de nenumărate personaje pline de culoare și exemple de neuitat din lumea afacerilor, din medicină, finanțe, istorie militară, criminalitate, sport și încă altele.

Cartea explorează câteva provocări strategice din lumea reală, cum ar fi modul de a menține prețuri scăzute pe Internet, modul de a restabili încrederea pierdută a publicului în cei care fac telemarketing pentru inițiative caritabile și chiar modul de a salva omenirea de bolile rezistente la medicamente, aparent de neoprit. În fiecare caz, McAdams folosește abordarea specifică teoriei jocurilor, elaborată în carte, ca să identifice esența strategică a problemei, după care se sprijină pe acea „știință a jocurilor“, urmărind să descopere metode de schimbare a jocului pentru rezolvarea problemei subiacente.

Așadar, fii gata pentru un periplu fascinant. Vei deveni un gânditor strategic mai profund, pregătit să schimbi și să câștigi jocurile pe care le joci. Făcând acest lucru, poți face, de asemenea, ca lumea să devină un loc mai bun. „Un singur jucător ingenios poate fi suficient pentru a sădi și transforma o întreagă organizație într-un loc mai productiv, mai fericit și în ansamblu mai bun“, scrie McAdams. Imaginează-ți ce putem face cu toții împreună.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Economics, Science, Leadership, Self Help

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2014

About the author

David McAdams is a professor at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. He is a leading scholar, popular teacher, and game-theory business consultant. He lives with his wife and children in Durham, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Science For The People]

Featured on Science for the People show #276 on August 1, 2014, during an interview with author David McAdams. http://www.scienceforthepeople.ca/epi...

[Bruno Rio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some high hopes on the book. Quite interesting intro but the author totally misses it. Dull development and the ending is just an exercise to "kind" of apply game theory to specific examples that seem just odd. Skip it.

[Tara Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Lover of game theory now.

[Mimi Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s interesting to revisit the recommendations provided in this book for complex social and environmental problems to see how they’ve been modified and implemented in the few years since this book was published.

Some people treat their lives, relationships, careers like it’s all a big game. The author suggests The “Tit-for-Tat” strategy - quick to trust, quick to punish, quick to forgive - is the best all-around approach to success in a gamed world (assuming alternatives to Prisoners Dilemma are not available).

But it would seem the true challenge is in the framing of the problem, where we have incomplete information and often make irrational or impulsive decisions, isn’t it?

[. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не внимавах много докато я слушах, но на места беше доста интересна. Теория на игрите е някакъв вид икономическо мислене, на който е интересно човек да се научи да мисли. За сега знам че съществува и понеже книгата е кратка след време бих я изслушал пак.

Струва ми се обаче, че теория на игрите е добре да я знаят политици и учители, такива които ще напасват стимулите, ограниченията и фийдбекмеханизмите на играта, а не толкова самите играчи. Т. Е. Самите играчи трябва да знаят каква игра се играе в момента, да знаят истинските правила и да играят по тях. Абе не знам. Не знам достатъчно за да коментирам. Мислех да сложа 3 звезди, но книгата не е виновна. Даже и гласа е як - главът на историята на цивилизацията. Просто не беше подходящия момент. Точно за това човек преди да тръгне да пише книга трябва да (1) провери дали случайно не е Томъс Соуел, и ако не е да се опита да напише ВЪЗМОЖНО НАЙ-КРАТКА КНИГА. Хората, освен Тонъс Соуел трябва да пишат кратки книги, за да може човек да ги препрочита и преслушва пак и пак. За Томъс Соуел дължината на книгата не корелира с броят предпочитания вече спрях да броя колко пъти съм му преслушвал различни части и дори цели книги отново и отново.

Но за остабалите ПИШЕТЕ КРАТКИ КНИГИ или поне правете кратка ъбридж аудиоверсия ОСВЕН пълната версия която да става за бързо преслушване.
Пикасо го е казал - Перфектността идва не когато няма какво повече да добавиш, а когато няма какво повече да отнемеш.

В това отношение тази к ига е почти добре, не е перфектна, можешеш да е МНОГО по-кратка, но 7 часа или по моя часовник 3 часа и половина ;) (*2 скорост за аудиокнигите е най-доброто изобретение след тока и аудиокнигите)

[Richard Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first it looked interesting, but then after I bought it, I had a dread that it would be the book that I so wanted when I first heard of game theory and that I would now abhor - a guide to using game theory to manipulate people and situations and to win negotiations. Fortunately, as I got into reading it, I discovered that it was not that. It is really more a sort of Freakonomics using basic ideas of game theory, rather than simple ideas of classical economics. So, like Freakonomics, it is amusing, and it is right in showing how sometimes basic principles of an academic discipline can be applied to find a solution to real life problems that can work and that may be different from what your intuition might suggest or from what the experts in a different field might decide to do. But also like Freakonomics, it oversimplifies and is therefore a bit misleading in suggesting how well game theoretic solutions work and how broadly they can be applied in the real world. To Mr. McAdams' credit he does have a section at the end where he advises caution and takes a step back from what the rest of the book suggests, saying that it takes practice and sophistication to identify situations where game theoretic solutions can work and tells us to keep our eyes open, to practice, practice, practice and to be careful in jumping to the conclusion that game theory can solve a given problem.

[Sabin Prodan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teoria jocului este un concept despre care am tot auzit si de ceva timp am ajuns sa imi doresc sa citesc ceva pe acest subiect.

"Jucatorul ingenios:teoria jocurilor si arta transformarii situatilor strategice" este prima carte pe aceasta tema si nu pot spune ca am avut mari asteptari, insa una din notele de subsol din prima parte care explica decizia traducatorului a traduce "game changer" prin "jucator ingenios", mi-a scazut entuziasmul, iar pe parcursul cartii am devenit destul de nerabdator sa o termin, si nu din cauza suspansului.

Pe langa traducerea care pe alocuri lasa de dorit, mai mult din cauza incompatibilitatii vocabularului romanesc cu cel englez decat din cauza traducatorului, consider ca aceasta carte putea fi considerabil redusa in dimensiune. Prima parte a cartii prezinta "Dilema Arestatului" si, cu exceptia unui mic fragment despre Tit-for-Tat, intregul continut se invarte in jurul acestui concept, inclusiv a doua parte care prezinta cateva studii de caz despre cum "Dilema Arestatului" a fost sau ar putea fi aplicata, prezentate uneori intr-un mod destul de subiectiv sau superficial.

Fara indoiala este o carte utila si apreciez intentia autorului de a prezenta, poate, esentialul Teroiei Jocurilor, doar ca textul devine putin redundant o data ce ai inteles ideea de baza. Un titlu mai bun ar fi fost "Dilema Arestatului. Definitie si studii de caz"

[Yofish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in 2023, and was a little worried that it would be dated. It was not.

I came to it as a mathematician, but it has more of a feel of a business book. Which had me nervous for a different reason. It started off a little slow, but got interesting. His thing is to see the Prisoner’s Dilemma everywhere. And he does have an impressive array of examples. The thing is, they’re legit, not really stretches.

The first half of the book is (kind of) how to recognize the game you’re in, and whether it is a Prisoner’s Dilemma. (And his examples usually are.)

The second half is more like: once you’re in a PD, how can you get out?

Examples include WWII battles, eBay buyers/sellers, antibiotic resistance, airline pricing, real estate, Emergency Departments trying to avoid giving drugs to addicts. More or less, each example takes one chapter.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One might be tempted to argue with McAdams' conclusions to the game theory files in the last section of the book, (hospital patient satisfaction, restoring ebay's reputation, the real estate market, etc.). However, one would be using McAdams' concepts that he presents at the beginning of the book to formulate these arguments. Therefore and ultimately, McAdams wins. His ability to clearly and concisely place the core concepts of game theory and strategy formulation in the hands of anyone to better understand anything shows his mastery of the subject.

[Lor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite Excerpt:
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
— Leonardo da Vinci

Like anything of great value, game-awareness is not easily achieved. It’s a habit that must be constantly cultivated and maintained, and reading alone won’t get you where you need to be. So, when you finish this book, practice. Practice until you see the game in everything, and everywhere, from the halls of Congress to the aisles of your local grocery store. Open your eyes!

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diamonds aren't forever anymore.

The game changer of economic crises foresaw the use of Game Theory in the use of Prisoner Dilemma during the Rockefeller Era. The luxury of diamond changes throughout the ages as the paper-money takes over the market. The use of the theory in complicated ways really help us to understand the modern world problem in the market.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A stereotypical smug pep talk by a business "shark" who thinks he's better than you, thinks you're too stupid to know he thinks he's better than you, and is so transparent. I couldn't tolerate the bs long enough to get to the content, which is a shame, because he probably does have helpful things to say, or at least a helpful perspective that's very different than academics.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book I've read on game theory.

[Nathalie Karasek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice introduction with an example for each game and strategy which makes it easier to remember them

[Nate Even · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part One is very good, Part Two "The Game Changer Files" are just okay, gets a little long winded.

[Ant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It's quite buiness oriented rather than pure maths, but it does give a nice mix between application in the wild and theory.
This is a topic that everyone should level up.

[Camilo Zuluaga Borda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomar decisiones en base al valor esperado y a la teoria de juegos.

[Gerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was a book entry level to game theory. covered the concepts well, doesnt go into great details in most.

[Zoidberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear intro to game theory

[Joana Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to Game Theory. Easy to understand and good examples. Not the right book if you are looking into a more in-depth look at the mathematics of it though.

[Andreas Bodemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to game theory with a focus on strategy in a corporate setting. A good read for anyone interested in business strategy.

[Robert Pragai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read with tangible examples. Allows the user to start recognizing game theory around them.

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very exhaustive view of game theory nor it's use as a way to use it for strategic thinking. Basically it's think of things as the prisoner's dilemma or some variation of it and use one of several "solutions".

The real downfall is the hypothetical solutions to real world problems. And part of that is that because there is such promise with the premise, use the material from the first half of the book to solve real world problems. Disappointing is that the solutions are just hypothetical and never put to real world problems or even attempted. Had the author shown us some situations even smaller problems or partial problems where the material discussed was used or partially used then it would give much more credence to his arguments and make for a much better read.

The other major flaw is the generic nature of the material. Again this would be a benefit if handled differently. The author gives general principle of the material i.e. such and such problem is really a variation of a classic prisoners dilemma and if you look at it like that then here's the solution as you'd see by looking at it using game theory. This might work better if the reader was presumed to know more of game theory so that getting from seeing the problem as a form of a prisoner's dilemma and then to see the steps to the solution. However the material is presented as for someone not familiar with game theory thus the steps to see a problem as a derivative of a prisoners dilemma and the steps to seeing the solution are not intuitive nor are they explained fully. For someone with no knowledge of game theory I could see this as a major frustration.

Overall this gets a D. Concept is good though a bit shaky, execution leaves a bit to be desired.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars, actually. This book started off well, and for the first half I was interested. I like game theory and did learn more about the basic Prisoner's Dilemma and its applications in our everyday lives. This may be too basic for some, but I'm just getting my feet wet in this area.
My issue is with the second half of the book, in which McAdams goes in-depth on several issues -- trust in online shopping, bacteria's resistance to antibiotics, drug addicts in the emergency room, and others -- but doesn't offer a game theory-based recommendation on how to approach each one. We're left with more information than we ever wanted to know about these topics without a resolution that fits the book's premise. McAdams attempts to address this in his epilogue, stating that his recommendations "would not have been worth much". The problem is, that's where we expect the book to go, and we're left hanging.
So three stars for the first half and two for the second. I'll keep reading about game theory, though -- this didn't turn me off completely!

[Trever · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really debatable going between 4 and 5 stars, so I settled on the lower of the two since it says it uses game theory and only covers the prisoners dilemma. Even though it covers the prisoners dilemma fully and shows you can use it in a variety of circumstances.

I did an awesome job of using game theory just the other day in a board game called resistance, which is incredibly fun if you have never played it. Won the game all three times employing game theory.

Well written book, maybe I should change it to 5... I don't know.

[Kyle Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another article or series of articles padded out into a book. The author makes generally anecdotal references to game theory and how to apply it. There are very little real insights or advice.

The second half of the book is the author making unsolicited suggestions to big companies. Likely in an attempt to further a consulting career.

Would be more interesting if you'd never come across game theory or the prisoners dilemma before.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on game theory. Well written and organized with intuitive real life examples. Five way to break out of prisoner's dilemma.
1. change pay offs (Regulation)
2. merge (Cartelization)
3. dynamic move (Retaliation)
4. commit to move (Promise)
5. repeat (Relationship)
Key concepts include, move timing, strategic evolution, Nash/roll back/commitment Equilibrium, MAD and tit-for-tat.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good introduction to game theory told using understandable concepts and real-world examples. It gets a bit repetitive as it goes on though, focusing too much on the classic Prisoner's Dilemma.

[Jeff Wikstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. I might bump my rating closer to a 4 if I read it. I think that in general, it was interesting and opened my mind to the idea of game theory. I don't know that it gave me enough solid tools to really implement the ideas.

[Marcelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful introduction to game theory with practical examples of how it can be applied to many areas of life, not just business.