Games of strategy may vary along the following axes:
| Axis of variation | Category definitions | Category examples |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic motivation / reward structure | Cooperation: all players benefit by aligning their actions; in practice, modeled by coordination problems. Conflict (i.e., zero-sum): one player’s gain is another’s loss, no strategies that lead to mutual benefit or increased payoff for multiple players. Mixed-motive: players can benefit from aligning actions but are also motivated by self-interest, meaning possibility of higher payoff for “defecting” when another player cooperates. | Cooperation: team games (players have identical payoffs); Stag Hunt Conflict: Rock-Paper-Scissors, Matching Pennies Mixed-motive: subtypes include social dilemmas, bargaining, and trust/reciprocity (see below). |
| Institutional context / rule structure | Coordination problems: players receive higher payoff if they choose the same “courses of action”; multiple pure strategy Nash equilibria for when players choose matching strategies. Bargaining problems: when multiple players experiencing a conflict of interest, or different outcome preferences, have the opportunity to agree on an outcome that achieves mutual benefit. Social dilemmas: when players would achieve higher collective payoffs by cooperating, but may fail to do so due to conflicting strategies that achieve higher individual payoffs. Trust and reciprocity problems: players exchange goods sequentially. | Coordination problems: Stag Hunt (a.k.a., assurance games) Bargaining problems: Ultimatum Game, Nash bargaining problems Social dilemmas: Prisoner’s Dilemma, Public Goods Game, Tragedy of the Commons Trust and reciprocity problems: Trust Game, Gift Exchange Game |