How to Win Games and Manipulate People

Bad news folks you're back at school, Puppy Punter, Be good

Those of you with functional memories may recall that at the very first SHUX in 2017, myself and Alan Gerding sat down in cosy room and had a chat about psychology. It was pegged as a talk about the psychology of games, but being both exhausted and faintly ill-prepared, we decided instead to enjoy a rambling introduction to some of the magic behind this unfairly-maligned strain of science.

And the people in the room at the time loved it! The people online afterwards? Not so much. A chunk of those who watched it were understandably annoyed that we didn’t tackle the topic as intended, and were more than woolly with our citations. And wow! Look what you made us do.

This year myself and Alan returned with an actual powerpoint presentation on the fascinating topic of manipulation, with a lens particularly focused on how you might use this information during games with elements of persuasion. It’s meaty, it’s interesting, it’s surprisingly fun. If you want the slides for this lecture-in-sheep’s-clothing, you can find them here.

We hope you enjoy it – have a great weekend!

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