Skip to main content

How to outsmart the Prisoner’s Dilemma - Lucas Husted

4,640,604 Views

3,378 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Two perfectly rational gingerbread men, Crispy and Chewy, are out strolling when they’re caught by a fox. Instead of simply eating them, he decides to put their friendship to the test with a cruel dilemma. He’ll ask each gingerbread man whether he’d opt to Spare or Sacrifice the other. What should they choose? Lucas Husted dives into the classic game theory scenario: the Prisoner's Dilemma.

If the payoff for sacrificing the other was increased, then all else equal, we expect that the delta required for cooperation will be:

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Lucas Husted
  • Director Ivana Bošnjak, Thomas Johnson Volda
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Ivana Bošnjak
  • Art Director Ivana Bošnjak, Thomas Johnson Volda
  • Compositor Ivana Bošnjak
  • Animator Ivana Bošnjak, Thomas Johnson Volda
  • Composer Adam Alexander, Gavin Dodds
  • Sound Designer Adam Alexander
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Script Editor Cella Wright
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

More from Train Your Brain