LET'S PLAY
E HUNTING GAME
TH MATH 10 HW 03
The Stag Hunt game is a classic game in game theory that represents a conflict between
safety and social cooperation. It is named after a game mentioned by philosopher Jean-
Jacques Rousseau in which two hunters must decide whether to hunt a stag or hunt a
rabbit. The stag provides more meat, but requires the cooperation of both hunters. On the
other hand, a single hunter can catch a rabbit, but it provides less meat. If one hunter goes
for the rabbit, the other’s hunt for the stag will fail.
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The Hunting Game
LEARN HOW TO PLAY
The objective of the hunting game is for the hunter to
OBJECTIVE:
maximize his/her payoff.
Each hunter has two strategies: hunt the stag or hunt the
rabbit.
If both hunters choose to hunt the stag, they both get a
payoff of 3.
RULES:
If one hunter chooses to hunt the rabbit, they get a payoff
of 2, and the other hunter’s hunt for the stag fails, giving
them a payoff of 0.
If both hunters choose to hunt the rabbit, they both get a
payoff of 2.
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The Art of Hunting Game
LEARN HOW TO PLAY LIKE A PRO
Hunter B hunts Stag Hunter B hunts Stag
Hunter A hunts Stag A: 3, B: 3 A: 0, B: 2
Hunter A hunts
A: 2, B: 0 A: 2, B: 2
Rabbit
The payoff for each hunter depends on the strategy they choose and the strategy chosen
by the other hunter.
Here is the payoff matrix:
Solving this game involves finding a Nash equilibrium, where no hunter can improve their
payoff by unilaterally changing their strategy. In this case, there are two pure strategy
Nash equilibria: (Stag, Stag) and (Rabbit, Rabbit). The (Stag, Stag) equilibrium is both risk-
dominant and payoff-dominant, meaning that it provides the highest payoff and is the
safest choice if the hunters are unsure about what the other will do.
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