Battle of the Sexes
- Inventor of Game: R. Duncan Luce & Howard Raiffa
No, we’re not discussing the infamous tennis match won by Billie Jean King. In fact, one could say that this game theory led to the name of the infamous match. In the world of game theories, the Battle of the Sexes is not as controversial. Consider a date between a man and a woman. They have a choice to attend either a boxing event or the ballet. The man would rather see boxing but the woman wants to see the ballet. Both want to go to the same event together, rather than go to different ones. The question is… which one should they attend?
This game theory essentially gives you only three possible choices. While the two people want to attend the same event together, this is not a forced action. Sure, both could either attend the boxing event or ballet. However, the possible third choice is the man going to the boxing event while the woman goes to the ballet. Since this game does not include randomized issues such as their relationship, potential harm, etc. It is down simply to the best payoff. While one would assume the best payoff is attending the same event, due to other factors not being involved, it would be best for the two to go to their own favored events separately.