Rock Paper Scissors = Real Life
Far beyond what it seems
Yeah, I said it. The game of rock, paper, scissors (rps) IS real life. Not just a game children, or adults acting as children, play when there comes an impasse in discourse.
My word, where are my manners...?! Perhaps some of you have never heard of this game before. So let me explain it to you. Played among two people, you stand before one another. One person then kicks off the game by saying, 'Rock, Paper, Scissors...Shoot!' And when they say the words rock, paper, and scissors, it is customary for each player to bang the base of their fist against the palm of their other hand. After they say shoot, each player displays either a rock by way of a closed fist, sheet of paper by way of a flat hand, or scissor by displaying a peace sign. The other hand is not involved at this conclusion.
The idea is to arrive at one winner, and one loser. Usually, the game is played as a best of 3 rounds. And how is a winner determined...? Well, rock (R) smashes and beats scissors. Paper (P) smothers and beats rock. Scissors (S) cuts and beats paper. When each player shows the same, nobody wins. Below is a table of all possible outcomes for player 1. Note: Player 1 is P1. Player 2 is P2.
Under the umbrella of mathematics, there exists an area of study known as Game Theory. Basically, the study of all sorts of interactions and conflicts between two or more parties. Typically when we think of games, some skills can be acquired by a player, thus allowing one to develop a winning strategy over time with experience. Since the results of rps is based on a randomized event, no skill is required by the player. In game theory, what can be done is to analyze using some sophisticated, and not so sophisticated methods to understand the outcome based on many different trials, or instances of a game.
Rps in particular is said to be a zero sum game. Reason being shall become quite straight forward. Let's modify the table above by making a simple substitution. For every instance of a win, substitute in a value of 1. For every instance of a loss, substitute in a value of -1. For every instance of a null where each player shows the same, substitute a value of 0. And remember, this table is from Player 1, or P1's perspective.
Now, for sure, you must have noticed one key difference to the table above. That is the addition of one extra row and one extra column. The new column of Row Sum simply displays the sum of each row. For instance the second row sum is displayed as: 1+0+(-1). Which equals zero. Likewise for the new row of Column Sum. The second columns sum is written as: -1+0+1. Which also equals zero. Do the same with all the remaining rows and columns and you will arrive at a sum of zero as indicated. This is why rps is called a zero sum game. In any instance of a match, where the weight of a win (1) is equal but opposite to the weight of a loss (-1) the net result is zero. Any conflict scenario, match, or game among two or more individuals or parties that prescribes to this is in fact a zero sum game where the table above is called a payoff matrix.
There are examples abound one can research where zero sum game analysis can be used. Particularly in the world of economics and financial markets. Very abstract and complex worlds mind you, depending on your vantage point. But I'm not going to give you any examples of those. Nah. I'm going to give you a personal example from my own life. I think by the time you're done reading it, you'll be able to see why the world of economics and finance find zero sum game analysis useful.
So early 2010 I needed to do something to free up some cash, ie spend less money per month. An apartment down the street in the same complex I lived in opened up for rent. It was slightly smaller thus $240/month cheaper in rent which was great. Plus, and this was big one for me, newly renovated which meant CLEAN. This is important because I've seen some disgusting apartments in that same complex that were asking top dollar. Oh, and the apartment I wanted to leave at the time was newly renovated and CLEAN, so I didn't want to downsize in that department. Although it had wall to wall carpeting, it was apparently a high quality one 'cause usually cheap plush carpeting gives me a headache and an allergic reaction.
So when I went to go see the place. It was nice as stated. The lady renting it seemed really nice. She would let me go month to month. It had a great big lawn with 16 mature trees in front of it so lots of shade during the warm months... Sold.
I move in February 2010. A few months later, still unpacked due to my busy schedule, my now landlady called me up informing me she has to raise the rent by $50. We had a very long conversation on the phone where I informed her the whole reason I pulled the trigger to rent this place was because it was $50 below my limit. Or max rent threshold. No matter how much I tried she wouldn't budge. Caught between an rock (no pun intended) and a hard place I relented and was forced to cough up an extra $50 per month. After all, I just moved and couldn't afford the expense of another move. And if I could have, I would have 'cause I was pissed.
Fast forward eight years later, and she informed me she had to sell the apartment. My rent never changed after thank god, but, I remembered how she played my a$$ by the initial rent increase. It's nothing personal, just business right. She attracts tenants with a great price, then flips it on them to get the rent she really wanted to list it as.
I never forgot this.
The deal at the time was I could stay until it was sold. Great. So what I did was calculate all the money that I lost from that rent increase. So $50 multiplied by the amount of months SINCE she raised the rent. I believe it came out to around $4500 or something. Now, I knew her mortgage on this apartment was roughly half than what she was charging for rent of course. So I got back to her, and said look I will stay while you're showing the place for sale ONLY if I pay the value of your mortgage and nothing more. The alternative was I leave immediately and she has to pay the mortgage, in full, by herself. Facing the prospect of actually going in her own pocket to pay this apartments mortgage...she agreed. So that cut my rent in half for a few months. But I wasn't happy with just that.
Now this is where my memory escapes me a bit, but, I do remember coming to her with another proposition about 3-4 months into the half rent one. This after all, was me taking advantage of her being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Just like she did to me almost 8 years prior. But, this time, I caught her in yet ANOTHER impasse where I had all the power. And I used this power to negotiate another TWO MONTHS RENT FREE.
The reason I did this was because I wanted my $4500 back and the half rent thing was falling short. So I kept my eyes peeled and struck when the time was right. And I did, for after the addition of two months rent free the amount of money I saved in those six months came to EXACTLY $4500. All through negotiation, surveying the playing field, and giving her a proposition she could not refuse. In fact, she would have been flat out stupid to refuse what ultimately got me my money back.
To reiterate, she made out an additional $4500 on me over an 8 year period of time. Then over a six month period of time at the end of my stay at her apartment, she lost $4500 to me, as in she went -$4500.
And $4500+ (-$4500) = 0.
Zero sum.
Life is but a game right...? You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. She played me, I played her right back when an opportunity presented itself. Nothing personal, just business. I mean, this is what she told me when she raised my rent I believe.
This story highlighting the conflict between myself and my landlady. The strategies I employed to level the score. All of it is a very simple example of how a zero sum game is played among two parties when dealing with the economics and, or, finances between them.
Moral of the story is don't let someone pull the wool over your eyes and walk away. You get back at them. For your own peace of mind. Nothing personal, just business.
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