#game-theory # [[Epistemic status]] #shower-thought #to-digest # Related # TODO > [!TODO] TODO # Zero Sum Game Chess, Go: there is a winner and a loser Human society: everybody can win  A zero-sum game is a situation in which the sum of the gains and losses of all players in the game is equal to zero. This means that whatever one player gains, the other player must lose. This is different from a non-zero sum game, in which the gains and losses of the players do not necessarily add up to zero. Zero-sum games are used to model a wide variety of situations, such as arms races, bargaining, and market competition.  ## Do we really need zero sum games? >The best athlete wants his opponent at his best. The best general enters the mind of his enemy. The best businessman serves the communal good. The best leader follows the will of the people. All of them embody the virtue of non-competition. Not that they don’t love to compete, but they do it in the spirit of play. In this they are like children and in harmony with the Tao. >~ [[Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching|Lao Tzu]] On one hand, zero sum games ensure a [[Biology/Evolution/Red Queen|Red Queen]] competition that maximizes the macro outcome, on the other, it is painful for the individual.