Normal-form game

In game theory, normal form is a description of a game. Unlike extensive form, normal-form representations are not graphical per se, but rather represent the game by way of a matrix. While this approach can be of greater use in identifying strictly dominated strategies and Nash equilibria, some information is lost as compared to extensive-form representations. The normal-form representation of a game includes all perceptible and conceivable strategies, and their corresponding payoffs, for each player.

In static games of complete, perfect information, a normal-form representation of a game is a specification of players' strategy spaces and payoff functions. A strategy space for a player is the set of all strategies available to that player, whereas a strategy is a complete plan of action for every stage of the game, regardless of whether that stage actually arises in play. A payoff function for a player is a mapping from the cross-product of players' strategy spaces to that player's set of payoffs (normally the set of real numbers, where the number represents a cardinal or ordinal utility—often cardinal in the normal-form representation) of a player, i.e. the payoff function of a player takes as its input a strategy profile (that is a specification of strategies for every player) and yields a representation of payoff as its output.

An example

A normal-form game
Player 2 Player 1	Left	Right
Top	4, 3	−1, −1
Bottom	0, 0	3, 4

The matrix provided is a normal-form representation of a game in which players move simultaneously (or at least do not observe the other player's move before making their own) and receive the payoffs as specified for the combinations of actions played. For example, if player 1 plays top and player 2 plays left, player 1 receives 4 and player 2 receives 3. In each cell, the first number represents the payoff to the row player (in this case player 1), and the second number represents the payoff to the column player (in this case player 2).

Other representations

A partial topology of two-player, two-strategy games, including such games as Prisoner's dilemma, Stag hunt, and Chicken

Often, symmetric games (where the payoffs do not depend on which player chooses each action) are represented with only one payoff. This is the payoff for the row player. For example, the payoff matrices on the right and left below represent the same game.

*Both players*
Player 2 Player 1	Stag	Hare
Stag	3, 3	0, 2
Hare	2, 0	2, 2

*Just row*
Player 2 Player 1	Stag	Hare
Stag	3	0
Hare	2	2

The topological space of games with related payoff matrices can also be mapped, with adjacent games having the most similar matrices. This shows how incremental incentive changes can change the game.

Uses of normal form

Dominated strategies

*The Prisoner's Dilemma*
Player 2 Player 1	Cooperate	Defect
Cooperate	−1, −1	−5, 0
Defect	0, −5	−2, −2

The payoff matrix facilitates elimination of dominated strategies, and it is usually used to illustrate this concept. For example, in the prisoner's dilemma, we can see that each prisoner can either "cooperate" or "defect". If exactly one prisoner defects, he gets off easily and the other prisoner is locked up for a long time. However, if they both defect, they will both be locked up for a shorter time. One can determine that Cooperate is strictly dominated by Defect. One must compare the first numbers in each column, in this case 0 > −1 and −2 > −5. This shows that no matter what the column player chooses, the row player does better by choosing Defect. Similarly, one compares the second payoff in each row; again 0 > −1 and −2 > −5. This shows that no matter what row does, column does better by choosing Defect. This demonstrates the unique Nash equilibrium of this game is (Defect, Defect).

Sequential games in normal form

*A sequential game*
Player 2 Player 1	Left, Left	Left, Right	Right, Left	Right, Right
Top	4, 3	4, 3	−1, −1	−1, −1
Bottom	0, 0	3, 4	0, 0	3, 4

These matrices only represent games in which moves are simultaneous (or, more generally, information is imperfect). The above matrix does not represent the game in which player 1 moves first, observed by player 2, and then player 2 moves, because it does not specify each of player 2's strategies in this case. In order to represent this sequential game we must specify all of player 2's actions, even in contingencies that can never arise in the course of the game. In this game, player 2 has actions, as before, Left and Right. Unlike before he has four strategies, contingent on player 1's actions. The strategies are:

Left if player 1 plays Top and Left otherwise
Left if player 1 plays Top and Right otherwise
Right if player 1 plays Top and Left otherwise
Right if player 1 plays Top and Right otherwise

On the right is the normal-form representation of this game.

General formulation

In order for a game to be in normal form, we are provided with the following data:

There is a finite set I of players, each player is denoted by i. Each player i has a finite k number of pure strategies

S_{i}=\{1,2,\ldots ,k\}.

A pure strategy profile is an association of strategies to players, that is an I-tuple

{\vec {s}}=(s_{1},s_{2},\ldots ,s_{I})

such that

s_{1}\in S_{1},s_{2}\in S_{2},\ldots ,s_{I}\in S_{I}

A payoff function is a function

u_{i}:S_{1}\times S_{2}\times \ldots \times S_{I}\rightarrow \mathbb {R} .

whose intended interpretation is the award given to a single player at the outcome of the game. Accordingly, to completely specify a game, the payoff function has to be specified for each player in the player set I= {1, 2, ..., I}.

Definition: A game in normal form is a structure

\mathrm {T} =\langle I,\mathbf {S} ,\mathbf {u} \rangle

where:

I=\{1,2,\ldots ,I\}

is a set of players,

\mathbf {S} =\{S_{1},S_{2},\ldots ,S_{I}\}

is an I-tuple of pure strategy sets, one for each player, and

\mathbf {u} =\{u_{1},u_{2},\ldots ,u_{I}\}

is an I-tuple of payoff functions.

References

Fudenberg, D.; Tirole, J. (1991). Game Theory. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-06141-4.
Leyton-Brown, Kevin; Shoham, Yoav (2008). Essentials of Game Theory: A Concise, Multidisciplinary Introduction. San Rafael, CA: Morgan & Claypool Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59829-593-1.. An 88-page mathematical introduction; free online at many universities.
Luce, R. D.; Raiffa, H. (1989). Games and Decisions. Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-65943-7.
Shoham, Yoav; Leyton-Brown, Kevin (2009). Multiagent Systems: Algorithmic, Game-Theoretic, and Logical Foundations. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89943-7.. A comprehensive reference from a computational perspective; see Chapter 3. Downloadable free online.
Weibull, J. (1996). Evolutionary Game Theory. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-23181-6.
J. von Neumann and O. Morgenstern, Theory of games and Economic Behavior, John Wiley Science Editions, 1964. Which was originally published in 1944 by Princeton University Press.

v t e Topics of game theory
Definitions	Congestion game Cooperative game Determinacy Escalation of commitment Extensive-form game First-player and second-player win Game complexity Graphical game Hierarchy of beliefs Information set Normal-form game Preference Sequential game Simultaneous game Simultaneous action selection Solved game Succinct game Mechanism design
Equilibrium concepts	Bayes correlated equilibrium Bayesian Nash equilibrium Berge equilibrium Core Correlated equilibrium Coalition-proof Nash equilibrium Epsilon-equilibrium Evolutionarily stable strategy Gibbs equilibrium Mertens-stable equilibrium Markov perfect equilibrium Nash equilibrium Pareto efficiency Perfect Bayesian equilibrium Proper equilibrium Quantal response equilibrium Quasi-perfect equilibrium Risk dominance Satisfaction equilibrium Self-confirming equilibrium Sequential equilibrium Shapley value Strong Nash equilibrium Subgame perfection Trembling hand equilibrium
Strategies	Appeasement Backward induction Bid shading Collusion Cheap talk De-escalation Deterrence Escalation Forward induction Grim trigger Markov strategy Pairing strategy Dominant strategies Pure strategy Mixed strategy Strategy-stealing argument Tit for tat
Classes of games	Auction Bargaining problem Global game Intransitive game Mean-field game n-player game Perfect information Large Poisson game Potential game Repeated game Screening game Signaling game Strictly determined game Stochastic game Symmetric game Zero-sum game
Games	Go Chess Infinite chess Checkers All-pay auction Prisoner's dilemma Gift-exchange game Optional prisoner's dilemma Traveler's dilemma Coordination game Chicken Centipede game Lewis signaling game Volunteer's dilemma Dollar auction Battle of the sexes Stag hunt Matching pennies Ultimatum game Electronic mail game Rock paper scissors Pirate game Dictator game Public goods game Blotto game War of attrition El Farol Bar problem Fair division Fair cake-cutting Bertrand competition Cournot competition Stackelberg competition Deadlock Diner's dilemma Guess 2/3 of the average Kuhn poker Nash bargaining game Induction puzzles Trust game Princess and monster game Rendezvous problem
Theorems	Aumann's agreement theorem Folk theorem Minimax theorem Nash's theorem Negamax theorem Purification theorem Revelation principle Sprague–Grundy theorem Zermelo's theorem
Key figures	Albert W. Tucker Amos Tversky Antoine Augustin Cournot Ariel Rubinstein Claude Shannon Daniel Kahneman David K. Levine David M. Kreps Donald B. Gillies Drew Fudenberg Eric Maskin Harold W. Kuhn Herbert Simon Hervé Moulin John Conway Jean Tirole Jean-François Mertens Jennifer Tour Chayes John Harsanyi John Maynard Smith John Nash John von Neumann Kenneth Arrow Kenneth Binmore Leonid Hurwicz Lloyd Shapley Melvin Dresher Merrill M. Flood Olga Bondareva Oskar Morgenstern Paul Milgrom Peyton Young Reinhard Selten Robert Axelrod Robert Aumann Robert B. Wilson Roger Myerson Samuel Bowles Suzanne Scotchmer Thomas Schelling William Vickrey
Search optimizations	Alpha–beta pruning Aspiration window Principal variation search max^n algorithm Paranoid algorithm Lazy SMP
Miscellaneous	Bounded rationality Combinatorial game theory Confrontation analysis Coopetition Evolutionary game theory Glossary of game theory List of game theorists List of games in game theory No-win situation Topological game Tragedy of the commons

v t e Matrix classes
Explicitly constrained entries	Alternant Anti-diagonal Anti-Hermitian Anti-symmetric Arrowhead Band Bidiagonal Bisymmetric Block-diagonal Block Block tridiagonal Boolean Cauchy Centrosymmetric Conference Complex Hadamard Copositive Diagonally dominant Diagonal Discrete Fourier Transform Elementary Equivalent Frobenius Generalized permutation Hadamard Hankel Hermitian Hessenberg Hollow Integer Logical Matrix unit Metzler Moore Nonnegative Pentadiagonal Permutation Persymmetric Polynomial Quaternionic Signature Skew-Hermitian Skew-symmetric Skyline Sparse Sylvester Symmetric Toeplitz Triangular Tridiagonal Vandermonde Walsh Z
Constant	Exchange Hilbert Identity Lehmer Of ones Pascal Pauli Redheffer Shift Zero
Conditions on eigenvalues or eigenvectors	Companion Convergent Defective Definite Diagonalizable Hurwitz-stable Positive-definite Stieltjes
Satisfying conditions on products or inverses	Congruent Idempotent or Projection Invertible Involutory Nilpotent Normal Orthogonal Unimodular Unipotent Unitary Totally unimodular Weighing
With specific applications	Adjugate Alternating sign Augmented Bézout Carleman Cartan Circulant Cofactor Commutation Confusion Coxeter Distance Duplication and elimination Euclidean distance Fundamental (linear differential equation) Generator Gram Hessian Householder Jacobian Moment Payoff Pick Random Rotation Routh-Hurwitz Seifert Shear Similarity Symplectic Totally positive Transformation
Used in statistics	Centering Correlation Covariance Design Doubly stochastic Fisher information Hat Precision Stochastic Transition
Used in graph theory	Adjacency Biadjacency Degree Edmonds Incidence Laplacian Seidel adjacency Tutte
Used in science and engineering	Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa Density Fundamental (computer vision) Fuzzy associative Gamma Gell-Mann Hamiltonian Irregular Overlap S State transition Substitution Z (chemistry)
Related terms	Jordan normal form Linear independence Matrix exponential Matrix representation of conic sections Perfect matrix Pseudoinverse Row echelon form Wronskian
Mathematics portal List of matrices Category:Matrices