Abstract

Game theory is the sub-field of economics and mathematics that studies strategic decisionmaking behavior. Simple elements of game theory are taught in introductory microeconomics courses, typically in a lecture format. I developed software for playing economic (and other) games in a classroom setting using handheld computers. I call it EconGames, and it has been used successfully in several classrooms. I describe and explain the basics of two games: the Ultimatum Game and the Prisoner’s Dilemma. These two games complement and challenge many of the basic tenets of economics. They are not the only games I developed for EconGames, but serve as useful examples. EconGames is written in the programming language Ruby and utilizes the Rails framework, also written (not by me) in the same language. The system also relies on FastCGI,

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