Game theory is a field of applied mathematics that describes and analyzes interactive decision situations. It consists of a set of analytical tools that predict the outcome of complex interactions among rational entities, where rationality demands a strict adherence to a strategy based on perceived or measured results. In the early to mid-1990's, game theory was applied to networking problems including flow control, congestion control, routing and pricing of Internet services. More recently, there has been growing interest in adopting game-theoretic methods to model today's leading communications and networking issues, including power control and resource sharing in wireless and peer-to-peer networks. This work presents fundamental results in game theory and their application to wireless communications and networking. We discuss normal-form, repeated, and Markov games with examples selected from the literature. We also describe ways in which learning can be modeled in game theory, with direct applications to the emerging field of cognitive radio. Finally, we discuss challenges and limitations in the application of game theory to the analysis of wireless systems. We do not assume familiarity with game theory. We introduce major game theoretic models and discuss applications of game theory including medium access, routing, energy-efficient protocols, and others. We seek to provide the reader with a foundational understanding of the current research on game theory applied to wireless communications and networking.
Game theory is a field of applied mathematics that describes and analyzes interactive decision situations. It consists of a set of analytical tools that predict the outcome of complex interactions among rational entities, where rationality demands a strict adherence to a strategy based on perceived or measured results. This lecture introduces wireless engineers to game theory. In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in applying game theory to problems in wireless communications and networking. Authors Allen Mackenzie and Luiz DaSilva provide students, researchers, and practitioners the tools they need to understand and participate in this work, provide guidance on the proper and improper uses of game theory, and examine future directions and applications of game theory. No familiarity with game theory is necessary; the authors introduce major game theoretic models and results and apply them to networking problems including medium access, routing, energy-efficient protocols, and others.
Key features include: a discussion of normal-form, repeated, and Markov games with examples selected from the literature; a description of the ways in which learning can be modeled in game theory, with direct applications to the emerging field of cognitive radio; and, a summary of the challenges and limitations in the application of game theory to the analysis of wireless systems.
