What's in a game?

Soccer is easily the most popular sport in the world, both in terms of players and viewership. And possibly the only sport today that has remained indifferent to technological advances, because success continues to be determined by such elementary considerations as physical stamina, skill and teamwork. The sheer thrills and rushes of adrenalin offered by the game are unmatched. Fortunately or not, soccer is no longer a game but a national obsession as highlighted by the events following the world cup qualifier between Ireland and France.

After a 1-1 draw, France managed to scrape through in extra time with a golden goal set up by Thierry Henry, one of the game’s leading strikers. However, Henry used his arm to control the ball, which went unnoticed by the referee. The Irish were devastated, and to lose because of a refereeing error was too much to digest. The team protested the result and wanted a replay, which is understandable. What came as a surprise was the call for a replay from the Irish Prime Minister himself! And he even brought up the matter with Mr. Sarkozy on the sidelines of an EU meeting!! Now, Irish fans are protesting outside the French embassy.

My point is beyond how to deal with refereeing errors and the dying element of “sportsman spirit”. I find it incredible that an entire nation can take the result of a game so seriously. We have seen it happen in India too every time Sachin gets out on a dubious LBW decision, and more so if we go on to lose the game, which is often the case. Why are we unable to see these events as part of the game and move on? After all, India losing matches has no direct impact on our lives. If anything, we will stop following cricket and put our time to better use. Technically, even players should not bother much for they are rarely paid on the basis on the result (unless in a tournament or in a qualifier such as this where they lose out on games). But in a bilateral series such as the Ind-SL one currently underway, how does the result matter?

The answer probably lies in the structure of our brain, which has three components: the reptilian brain, limbic brain and neocortex. The reptilian brain is instinctive and reacts immediately to stimuli without thinking, which makes reflexes possible. On the flip side, it also leads us to automatically react without thinking, and probably explains the current Irish rage. We get attached to our team and become one with it. So when the team loses, we lose. But before we can step back and analyze, our reptilian brain has perceived this as a threat and forced us to respond. Once you make a move based on gut, it is nearly impossible to let things go and reconcile with reality. Instead, we end up with rationalizing and justifying our stance.

The trick, of course, is to suppress the reptilian instincts and let the limbic brain and neocortex take over. The limbic brain processes emotions whereas the neocortex is responsible for reasoning and thinking. Apparently, studies show that our neocortex is severely underutilized. There are ways to address this, some of which I learned in the MCC and AMCC courses at IIM-A, but more on that later.

Game Theory and Traffic Rules

Game theory attempts to explain our behavior in situations where the success of our choices are impacted by the choices of others. Price wars are the most common example. If Pepsi cuts prices, assuming elastic demand, sales will increase and so will profits. But if Coke follows suit, Pepsi's action will be neutralized such that both Coke and Pepsi end up with lower profits than what they would make if prices werent cut in the first place. So letting prices be is the best course of action for both, which is the conclusion they will eventually reach after the game is played multiple times.

I got thinking if this explains the problem with our traffic rules. When we all follow rules, then it gives those who break them an advantage. Let's say the rule is that we stick to our lanes regardless of traffic. Now, if the traffic is slow, someone can cut across lanes and weave through traffic, assured that everyone is driving in their lane. But once that happens, the rest will naturally feel cheated and start doing it too, and we end up with massive chaos.

I see two ways of addressing the problem. One is to remove the incentive for breaking rules, by imposing hefty and consistent fines, which is impossibly difficult to do in our country. The second is to let people play this "game" enough times until they realize that we are better off following the rules. It doesnt mean every single person has to experience chaos before sanity returns. Once enough people decide to follow rules, a critical mass is reached. You have - tada - a tipping point. You see people following rules, then more people follow rules and so on. The concept of social proof kicks in.

Its not as far-fetched as it sounds. I think it partly explains why Mumbai has better lane discipline and civic sense than other cities - people here have seen traffic chaos so many more times.

I think the unfortunate part is when everyone starts to follow the rules, some of us will be tempted to break them and get an unfair advantage. And when there is no system of fines or penalty, more people will start doing it creating another tipping point and the cycle continues...