A game theory kit in a box. Cards, chips and dice that let two or more players run the same situations quants think about every day. No screens, nothing to charge.
Sponsors fund the kits. We design them, have them made, and send them to younger students who do not know yet that this field exists.
The box ships flat and folds into shape. Slide to fold it, and look inside.
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A deck of short games. Each card sets up a situation, shows what every choice pays, and takes a few minutes to play.
Your score, and your stake. You bid them in auctions and win or lose them every round.
For rounds where luck matters. A roll can trigger a market shock that changes what every choice is worth.
Write your choice, place it face down, and flip at the same time as everyone else. Nobody gets to react.
Holds the kit and doubles as a blind draw for picking the next scenario.
One laminated page: how to play each game in a few sentences, and how it connects to real trading.
After each round the card asks what happened and why. That conversation is where the learning is.
Each scenario card is a classic game with a trading story on top. Everyone chooses in secret, reveals together, and scores from the table on the card.
Two companies sell the same thing. Each secretly chooses to hold its price or cut it, then both reveal.
| Rival: Hold | Rival: Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| You: Hold | 3, 3 | 0, 5 |
| You: Cut | 5, 0 | 1, 1 |
Cutting is better for you whatever the rival does, so both cut and both end up worse off. That resting point is a Nash equilibrium.
Two traders want the same deal. Each chooses to back down or push. If both push, both lose big.
| Rival: Back down | Rival: Push | |
|---|---|---|
| You: Back down | 2, 2 | 1, 4 |
| You: Push | 4, 1 | −3, −3 |
There is no single best move. Convincing the other side you will not back down can be the winning play.
Everyone draws a secret value for the item, then bids chips face down. The highest bid wins and pays what it bid. Your score is your value minus your bid.
Bid your full value and you win nothing even when you win. Quants call the fix bid shading, and the trap the winner's curse.
One player proposes how to split 10 chips. The other accepts, or rejects so that both get nothing.
Pure logic says accept any offer above zero. Real people reject unfair ones, and a good strategy plans for that.
One player peeks at a hidden card that says whether the market goes up or down, then tells the other player something. It might be true.
Information is only worth what its source is worth. You learn to ask what the other player gains if you believe them.
| Part | Cost per kit |
|---|---|
| Scenario card deck | $0.75 |
| Poker-style chips | $1.50 |
| Pair of dice | $0.25 |
| Bid tokens | $0.50 |
| Drawstring bag | $0.85 |
| Laminated rules card | $0.25 |
| Total | $4.10 |
Estimated cost of parts at bulk prices. The box and shipping are extra.
One sheet of corrugated board, cut along the blue lines and folded along the red ones. No glue or tape.
A simplified drawing for the website. The exact cutting file comes from the box manufacturer.