Game Strategy (pick the lowest unrepeated number)

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    Game Strategy
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a game involving N players who each select a number from 0 to 100, with the objective of choosing the lowest unrepeated number. Participants explore strategies for number selection and the implications of player behavior on outcomes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests choosing 0, reasoning that if others believe multiple players will select 0, they might avoid it, but acknowledges the risk if someone else shares this thought.
  • Another participant proposes selecting a very small number (0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001) under the assumption that others will also avoid 0, indicating a belief that multiple players will adopt a similar strategy.
  • A third participant notes that the game lacks a pure Nash equilibrium in non-cooperative scenarios, suggesting that a mixed strategy where players randomly select numbers could be more effective.
  • One comment implies that psychological factors may play a significant role in decision-making, suggesting a need for psychological insight rather than purely mathematical reasoning.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing strategies and assumptions about player behavior, indicating that multiple competing views remain without a consensus on the best approach.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the complexity of player motivations and the lack of a definitive strategy, with assumptions about others' choices influencing individual decisions.

kaleidoscope
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This is a game with N players where each player secretly picks a number from 0 to 100. The winner is the player who picks the lowest unrepeated number. Which number would you pick? What would be your strategy?
 
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It's probably not the smartest number to choose, but I'd choose 0. Only because if I assume that every other player has the mentality that at least two people will choose 0, nobody would choose 0. However, if someone else thinks the same way I do, then I'll probably lose.
 
I'm thinking that more than one will have the strategy of post #2. So I'd choose 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001
 
In the non-cooperative scenario, this game has no pure Nash equilibrium. The mixed one is attained when all players pick one of the N numbers randomly, using a uniform distribution.
 
the guy who answers this1 needs to be a psychologist not a mathwiz
 

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