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ELI5: what is game theory/how does it work?
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basically the title I’ve always wondered how it is economics
Top Comment: Game theory tries to use math to define strategy and how people react to other people’s strategies. For example, your school teacher asks everyone in your class of 4 students to pick a number from 1 to 10. You can pick any number you want and you will get that many candies divided by the number of people that picked that number. Your instinct is to pick 10, the highest number, but you know that the other students also want the highest number of candies, and if you all pick 10 you get fewer candies than if you had picked 4 and nobody else had picked 4. However, all students can think this way and you can then assume that nobody is likely to pick 10. The math that formally defines these outcomes and the optimal strategy given other’s strategies is game theory. An example I can give you in economics is that if it was possible to know the true value of a stock, nobody would trade it because the buyer would not buy it unless it’s being sold below its true value, but the seller knowing this would never sell it below its true value, and vice versa.
probability - Standard definition of a game in game theory - Mathematics Stack Exchange
Main Post: probability - Standard definition of a game in game theory - Mathematics Stack Exchange
TIL the book 'Theory of Games and Economic Behavior', by mathematician John von Neumann and economist Oskar Morgenstern, led to the creation of an entirely new field of research, known as game theory, which is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. : todayilearned
Main Post: TIL the book 'Theory of Games and Economic Behavior', by mathematician John von Neumann and economist Oskar Morgenstern, led to the creation of an entirely new field of research, known as game theory, which is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. : todayilearned
Theory Time! We have 4 games in the Clair Obscur universe [SPOILERS AHEAD, PUITANS!] : expedition33
Main Post: Theory Time! We have 4 games in the Clair Obscur universe [SPOILERS AHEAD, PUITANS!] : expedition33
Squid Games Theory:
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I have a theory about the Front Man. I think at the end of season three, he will take off his human disguise to reveal that he is actually a squid, and that the games are named after him. Then he'll say "let's get squiddy!" and the credits will role.
Top Comment: Maybe the real Squid Game was the friends we made along the way.
I think my taste in games changed, just a theory.
Main Post: I think my taste in games changed, just a theory.
Top Comment: Roblox player discovers puberty depression
Squid Game Season 2 Theory (Part 3): What We Know about the Game Format
Main Post: Squid Game Season 2 Theory (Part 3): What We Know about the Game Format
Top Comment: I'm very excited to read part 4. Having not seen the first season in a few years this is really helpful to provide some context I forgot for certain key characters.
Squid game 2 theory
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It's quite far fetched but I believe in it
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Damn and they kind of look alike too, good catch. Incredibly well thought of theory.
Squid Game Season 2 Theory (Part 2): What We Know about Front Man
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In Part One, I discussed everything we know about In-ho as a person—what we’ve learned through his brother, Jun-ho. Now, in this post, let’s dive into what we know about In-ho in his role as the Front Man. Also, fair warning—this post contains SPOILERS from Season 1, so if you haven’t watched it yet, proceed with caution.
Part 1 link: https://www.reddit.com/r/squidgame/comments/1hu07y2/squid_game_season_2_theory_part_1_what_we_know/
In Season 1, Episode 1, we learn that the person in the black mask is responsible for running the game and is called the Front Man.
In Season 1, Episode 3, the Front Man kills a guard after his identity is revealed, stating, "Once they find out who you are, you die." This shows his strict adherence to the rules, enforcing them even when the guard’s unmasking wasn’t his fault but the result of being captured by a player.
Episode 6, the Front Man confronts the guard involved in the organ-harvesting scheme. While he remains indifference about their illicit activities, he makes it clear that they violated the game's core principle of fairness by giving certain players information about upcoming games. He states, "Everyone is equal while they play this game. Here, the players get to play a fair game under the same conditions. Those people suffered from inequality and discrimination out in the world, and we’re giving them the last chance to fight fair and win."
The Front Man’s speech about player equality reveals his belief in the core principles of the game. Despite the morally questionable nature of the Squid Game, he seems to genuinely value the idea of fairness within its confines. His emphasis on equality—offering players the same conditions and opportunities.
The Front Man then kills the guard who was involved in the scheme but does not kill the player himself. Instead, the player is executed by another guard, not directly by the Front Man. This underscores the Front Man's unwavering commitment to maintaining equality within the game, punishing those who disrupt this balance. This is also the second guard he has killed without hesitation.
Throughout Season 1, the Front Man communicates with someone over a landline phone, referring to them as "Sir." This implies that he reports to someone higher up in the hierarchy, further emphasizing that while the Front Man has significant authority within the game, he is not the ultimate power. His role is one of enforcement, following orders from an unseen higher authority, suggesting a complex chain of command behind the game’s operations.
In Episode 7, the Front Man introduces himself to the 6 VIPs, stating that he runs the operations at this facility. It’s also worth noting that the VIPs are surprised the host has missed this and has instead sent the Front Man to greet them. This suggests that this is likely the first time the Front Man has met the VIPs in person, which implies his role is usually more behind the scenes, managing the game without direct involvement with the VIPs.
In Season 1, Episode 7, when the guards go after Jun-ho, the Front Man orders them to bring him alive. By this point, we know he already recognizes Jun-ho as the person searching for him, having found his police badge earlier. The fact that he specifically asks to bring Jun-ho alive suggests that, despite his role in the game, he still cares about his brother and doesn’t want to see him killed.
In Season 1, Episode 8, the Front Man shoots his brother Jun-ho in the shoulder, not a fatal area. Based on what we’ve learned about Front Man’s background in Part 1—specifically his experience as a higher-up in law enforcement—it’s clear that he was capable of killing his brother if he had wanted to. However, by deliberately aiming for the shoulder, he shows restraint, suggesting that he didn’t want to kill Jun-ho.
Later in the same episode, we see that the Front Man is visibly shaken by the fact that he had to shoot his brother. As he removes the bullet from his shoulder, he is confronted by his brother's last moments in the mirror, a haunting reflection of the choice he just made.
In Season 1, Episode 9, when Player 456 decides to quit and leave the game with his friend, meaning, both would stay alive but would not win the money. The Front Man remains silent when the guard checks in, not giving any orders. In my interpretation, this silence suggests that Front Man knew Player 218 wouldn’t just quit, and would most likely take his own life to end the game. This aligns with what we’ve seen of Front Man’s interest in human psychology in part 1, especially with the books on the subject in his apartment.
At the end of Season 1, Front Man takes Player 456 out in a limo after the game is over. Front Man tells Player 456 that he did not expect him to win.
When Player 456 asks him why and how they could do that, Front Man responds, "You like horses. You people are horses, and we bet on you."
At the end of Season 1, Front Man is the last person standing on the side of Il-nam, the elderly player (Player 001).
In summary, what we know about Front Man in Season 1 is that he runs the facility and has no problem killing guards without hesitation when necessary. He is strict about maintaining the game's rule of fairness, ensuring that all players are treated equally. Despite his cold and calculated demeanor, he also shows a soft spot for his brother, Jun-ho, attempting to keep him alive when he could have easily killed him.
In the next part, I’ll go over the game format and what we learned about the games in Season 1. Then, in Part 4, we’ll jump into the theory. We're almost there—I promise we’ll get there soon!
Top Comment: Great write-up!
Crack theory: Sunrise on the Reaping - Lenore Dove
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I was sitting here thinking about how a lot of people believe Katniss is the grand daughter or great grand daughter of Maude Ivory due to The Hanging Tree and the gift of recall for music. With the recent snippet exposing the name of Haymitch's girlfriend, Lenore Dove, there's a lot of belief that she's covey.
This is a WILD theory but what if, perhaps, Lenore Dove is Mr. Everdeen's sister? It doesn't explicitly state her age in the excerpt so she could be a couple years older, younger, or the same age. It also doesn't state her appearance so for all we know, she could be blonde like Maude. We don't know her last name and we've never know Mr. Everdeen's first name (or names 👀) either.
I feel like Lenore Dove is going to absolutely HAUNT the narrative of this book and I don't think I'm ready for that haha.
Top Comment: No I think that's you guys trying to link everything together. She mightve been part of the covey, and there may be a relation with that to Mr Everdeen. But it's clearly stated Haymitch lost everyone close to him "Everyone". Katniss and her family is part of everyone. Why would Haymitch not give a shit if it was his sister in laws kid in the hunger games. It makes no sense. Even for an alcoholic.