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These are the best new articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources we have found to teach game theory. They bring economics to life by showing students real-life examples and current events.
 

News Articles

(Listed from most recent to oldest)

Helene and Milton are both likely to be $50 billion disasters, joining ranks of most costly storms | AP News (Oct. 16, 2024)
The escalating costs of hurricanes like Helene and Milton highlight an increasingly pertinent moral hazard: people continue building in high-risk areas (aka Florida), with the expectation that government assistance will be available after disasters. As storms become more severe and rebuilding costs increase, the economic challenges of recovery grow, raising questions about how to balance disaster relief with long-term risk management.

People game AIs via game theory | Ars Technica (Aug. 9, 2024)
Repeat play matters even if your partner is an algorithm. A new study shows that participants in a simplified game theory exercise are more likely to reject "borderline" unfair splits when they believe they are training AI.

Game Theory Can Make AI More Correct and Efficient | Quanta Magazine (May 9, 2024)
Game theory is being used to train LLMs.

Hulu Orders Competition Show ‘Got to Get Out’ | The Hollywood Reporter (Sept. 28, 2023)
Get ready! There’s about to be a prisoner’s dilemma game show.

When Fighting Is More Rational Than Peacemaking | Foreign Policy (April 21, 2023)
Game theory can help explain why a Sudanese paramilitary group rejected a peacemaking deal–it’s a classic credible commitment problem.

September Is Not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year | Substack.com (September 26, 2022)
Stores display Christmas items earlier every year. Why? When one store does this, the sales of the competitors are affected too. Interdependent behavior explains why all stores want to be faster than their competitors. But if the trend continues, we will have started to experience diminishing returns by the time Christmas comes, and the holiday may not be so special anymore.
Resource: Worksheet
 

Videos

The Most Rational Player | Economics Street Preacher
Which player followed game theory rules perfectly?
Resource: Worksheet

Office Hours: Game Theory | MRU
Learn standard prisoner’s dilemma using competing magicians instead of prisoners.
Resource: Practice Questions

Podcasts

Game Theory, explained with Golden balls | Planet Money
This British game show from 2007 is a variant of the prisoner’s dilemma. If you’re a cooperator at heart, this will be painful to listen to. Here’s some painful footage to watch in class.

Additional Resources

Multiple-Choice Questions | MRU

The Collusion Experiment
Students love to hate this game. It drives home the point that colluding is actually pretty difficult. (I recommend playing for extra credit points and using some type of online polling device.) Hat tip to Hemenway, Moore, and Whitney (1987) and Jose Vasquez for creating and popularizing this game.

The Evolution of Trust | Ncase.me
A game to explain the rationale behind why we trust one another.

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