Prisoner's Dilemma

A game based on Game Theory
Any number of players
About 4 turns

by Tony Reeves

This game extends the Prisoner's Dilemma principle developed by John von Neumann and invites the players to devise an algorithm that will maximise their returns against the opposition algorithms when each algorithm is paired up in a league competition.

In each round a player (represented by his or her algorithm) can choose to either co-operate or defect with the opposition. Points are then allocated according to the following matrix :

The results in the matrix are [ my points, your points].

An individual "match" between 2 algorithms lasts for 20 round so that the maximum score available is 100.

An algorithm can contain conditional instructions or can be totally unresponsive or random or indeed any combination of approaches that can be accurately and succinctly put into words and/or a simple program.

It must be stressed that the format will be all-play-all Round Robin or League but that the winning algorithm will be selected on the basis of Total Points and that win-loss-tie records are irrelevant.

Competitors may change their algorithm between each round of the League program. NMR's result in the same algorithm been submitted in following weeks.

An alternative format would involve no change in the algorithms until all algorithms had played one another or even a Devil-Take-The-Hindmost in which the lowest scoring algorithm is eliminated and that algorithm published.