“The Evolution of Trust” is an interactive game by Nicky Case that uses game theory to explore how trust builds or breaks down over time.
What?
The game simulates the Prisoner’s Dilemma, where two players choose to cooperate or betray each other.
- Both cooperate → both get moderate reward.
- One betrays → betrayer gains, cooperator loses.
- Both betray → both lose.
Example: both silent = 2 years each, one betrays = betrayer free, other gets 5 years.
Why?
The game explores Evolutionary Game Theory by simulating how different strategies fare over repeated interactions in a population.
- Always Cooperate: Always trusts others. Gets exploited by betrayers.
- Always Cheat: Never trusts anyone. Dominates cooperators but fails against itself.
- Copycat (Tit for Tat): Starts cooperating, then copies opponent’s last move. Promotes mutual cooperation, retaliates when betrayed.
- Grudger: Cooperates until betrayed once, then never forgives. Punishes betrayal but doesn’t allow redemption.
- Copykitten: Like Copycat but more forgiving. Tolerates occasional mistakes, maintains cooperation.
What did we learn?
- Trust grows linearly, collapses exponentially.
- Forgive small errors fast, punish only patterns.
- Make cooperation the easiest click, not the hard sell.
- Noise kills rigid strategies, rewards flexibility.
- Evolution has no winners, only temporary survivors.