Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life,   ISBN:9780465009381

Customer Rating: 

This book is a very, very elementary introduction to game theory. If you know anything about game theory at all, expect to get very bored, very fast reading this book. As another reviewer wrote, it is heavy on fluff, and light on actual theory/math/science, so if you are looking for a book that will make you think, this is not it.

Customer Rating: 

As program manager in an international environment, I found that Len Fisher's "Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life" provided valuable and structured insight into personnel/organizational motivations, the ubiquity of social dilemmas, and strategies for resolving and avoiding conflict. The manner in which the book is written gives you the feeling that you are sitting down with a friend having an enjoyable conversation.

Customer Rating: 

I am amazed at the variety of reviews this book has recieved; it's a great introduction to Game Theory and should be judged as such. Len Fisher does say in the Introduction that: "As I pursued my investigation I became painfully aware that almost any paragraph could have been expanded into a major article, if not a full book. In order to keep this book shorter than the Encyclopedia Britannica, I have minimized or omitted discussions of many complicating factors. If the reader is sufficiently stimulated to want to pursue these further, they can be found in any standard textbook on game theory." I read lots of books on Game Theory and I still found this book highly accessible and enjoyable. And although Game Theory is not Len Fisher's specialty, he does a good job with the topic. Fisher is really quite witty and it shows through.

In sum, I found this book to be an excellent introduction to Game Theory. John Nash, Garrett Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons, Prisoner's Dilemma, etc. - it's all here. I would point the curious reader to two books that highlight the real world implications of Game Theory; I believe these books are very helpful: Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed and Garrett Hardin's book Living within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos.

Customer Rating: 

This is a great book, but if you are looking for a lot of 'textbook' game theory you may be left wanting more. Talks very qualitatively and easy to understand to anyone out there on the street. The examples are good and the author does relate to his everyday life. I'm sure you will find it an enjoyable read, but if you are the technical sort be ready to go on a quest for more game theory!

Customer Rating: 

I knew little about game theory before reading this book so I expected to increase my knowledge a lot in an area that was new for me. I did learn some interesting concepts and terminology but for the most part I was disappointed. Fisher's examples of game theory were childish and unscientific - mostly about his personal experiences as a kid or dinner parties as an adult. While it makes for a light read, it will do little to expand your knowledge. There was little mention of any controlled scientific studies. A lot of the stories, like the Kitty Genovese murder in NYC in the 1970's, have been written about countless times. There was also little analytical and thoughtful discussion about serious situations where we observe game theory like in conflicts among countries. If you know little about game theory, you will learn some new tools but do not expect to be dazzled by this superficial covering of the topic.