Game theoryClassroom · multi-user
Stag Hunt — Coordination & Trust
Paired for several rounds, each of you picks Stag (hunt together for the best payoff — but only if your partner joins) or Hare (a safe, fixed reward alone). See whether trust builds toward the payoff-dominant outcome or retreats to the safe one.
You’ll learn: See how the best outcome needs mutual trust rather than beating a temptation — and why players may retreat to the safe choice even when cooperating is itself an equilibrium.
- Coordination games
- Payoff dominance vs. risk dominance
- Multiple Nash equilibria
- Trust & shared expectations
Teacher guide
Students will learn to
- Experience a coordination game where cooperating is an equilibrium — the obstacle is trust, not temptation.
- Distinguish the payoff-dominant outcome (hunt the stag together) from the risk-dominant one (take the safe hare).
- Watch whether repeated play builds the shared expectations needed to coordinate on the better outcome.
Before the session — ask
- If the best reward needs your partner to commit too — but going solo is safe — which would you pick first?
- How is this different from the Prisoner's Dilemma, where betraying your partner is tempting?
After the session — discuss
- Did pairs drift toward hunting the stag together, or retreat to the safe hare over the rounds?
- What made trust build (or break) between partners across rounds?
- Where in teamwork, partnerships, or joint ventures does this same 'we both have to commit' problem show up?
Timing
- Briefing & pairing3–5 min
- Five coordination rounds6–10 min
- Reveal & discussion8–10 min
Run it with your class
Students join with a code or QR — no account needed. Teachers start a session from the dashboard.