Stag Hunt Game
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
Two people go hunting. If they cooperate to hunt a stag, each gets a lot of meat (high payoff); if they hunt a hare alone, they are guaranteed to catch a hare to fill their stomach (low payoff, but safe). The problem is that hunting a stag requires perfect coordination; if one person goes for a hare midway, the stag hunter gets nothing. -
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Trade-off between safety and cooperation. - Difference from the Prisoner's Dilemma (where betrayal is the dominant strategy): In the Stag Hunt, cooperation is win-win but requires high trust. It explains why many good projects (stag hunting) are not undertaken; everyone flocks to low-end markets (hare hunting). Trust is the only lever that lifts everyone from the 'hare equilibrium' to the 'stag equilibrium'.
Anchor fast decisions
A two-person hunting game conceived by Rousseau: cooperative stag hunting yields high payoff but requires coordination, while solitary hare hunting yields low but safe payoff. There are two Nash equilibria: both hunt stag (high-payoff cooperation) and both hunt hare (low-payoff safety). The choice depends on expectations about the partner's cooperative belief (trust), not on unilateral dominance.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/4Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stag_huntverified
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