October 07, 2004
The fine art of decision-making
Information about decision games appeals to me, because this is how my fiancee and I make pretty much every decision in our household:
"Who has to shovel the steps?"
"Let's flip for it."
or
"Are you going to dinner with me and my friends tonight?"
"Do I have to?"
"I'd like you to. Here, let's do rock paper scissors."
Etc. We play fair, and we do what we agreed to do if we lose (grumbling is allowed, though).
Anyway, I found these variations very amusing. First, there's the full-body version of decision-making:
MR told me about this full-body improvement on Rochambault (or "Rock-Paper-Scissors," as most of the world outside the SF Bay Area calls it): Bear-Cowboy Ninja. You start back to back with your opponent. Walk five paces, then whirl around and strike a pose.
The cowboy (hands making pistols and firing from both hips) shoots the bear.
The bear (hands up in the air in claw formation) eats the ninja.
The ninja (standing on one leg with hands out to the sides, like the Karate Kid) delivers a deathblow to the cowboy.
Sound effects are optional, but add greatly to the game.
This sounds ideal for deciding, at 1 am, who has to pay for the next round of drinks.
The second entry is the "Geek-with-far-too-much-time-on-his-hands" version:
Unlike the first variation, the addition of alcohol will probably NOT make this version more enjoyable. Even sober, it's tough to remember the rules.
Update: Via the World Rock-Paper-Scissors Society website (thanks, Nanto!), we discover that lizards play a version of this game, you can learn about it at Stanford University, and the theory behind it is the basis for a lot of video games.
I will confess here that, much as I love to play games like r-p-s, game theory and judgment/decision making were my least-favorites areas of statistics when I was in graduate school. On the other hand, dice, cards, and rock-paper-scissors definitely enhance the Stats 101 teaching experience.
Posted by kswygert at October 7, 2004 12:24 PM