The Science of Games: Evolution, Game Theory, and Gamification at Green Man Festival

Short overview

In a live BBC Inside Science episode taped at Green Man Festival, experts explore the biology and psychology of play, the role of game theory in decision making, and how gamification shapes daily life. Panelists discuss why play develops skills, how trust and deception operate in competitive settings, and what makes the TV game show Traitors so compelling. The conversation moves from deep science to practical applications, including education, AI, and everyday apps that reward progress. Audience questions lift the discussion into child development, realism in social signals, and how to balance gaming with well-being.

Introduction and premise

BBC Inside Science hosts a live episode at Green Man Festival to examine the science behind games, why humans are drawn to play, and how games influence behavior. The panel includes Gillie Forrester, professor of evolutionary and developmental psychology at the University of Sussex, Katie Steckel, a mathematician and maths communicator based in Manchester, and Jazz Singh, broadcaster and former Traitors participant. The host prompts the audience to imagine themselves at the traitors’ castle to gauge instincts around trust and deception, setting up a practical exploration of game theory and social dynamics.

Why humans play and what we learn

Gillie explains that play is an evolutionary behavior common across social species. Games provide a safe arena to practice future challenges, offering cognitive rewards, problem solving, and even social and ecological skills. The discussion emphasizes that play helps individuals learn and adapt for real-world uncertainty. Jazz adds that high-stakes, immersive games evoke adrenaline and dopamine, helping players understand competing motivations and social dynamics even when the stakes feel ”all or nothing.”

Game types, AI, and strategic thinking

Katie details different game categories: perfect information games like chess, probabilistic games involving chance, and games with hidden information and social interaction, such as poker. In training AI, these games reveal how machines learn strategic thinking given varied information and human unpredictability. The conversation also highlights how humans chunk problems into subgoals, sometimes backtracking to progress, a pattern AI can model but humans still navigate through social cues and theory of mind.

The Traitors and trust in social deduction

The episode pivots to the traitors show, exploring how strategy, deception, and trust determine outcomes. A classroom-like experiment recreates a two-person share-steal game to illustrate prisoners’ dilemma logic and the tension between self-interest and collective gain. Katie clarifies the theoretical baseline: stealing is often the dominant strategy in prisoners’ dilemma setups, though cooperative outcomes exist if trust is established. Gillie adds that deception hinges on multi-channel communication and past behavior, while the minimization effect suggests people overlook non-verbal cues when focusing on content, complicating truth detection.

Gamification in everyday life and ethics

Discussion shifts to real-world gamification—apps that reward progress with points, streaks, and badges, and the psychology behind these incentives. Gillie points to the brain’s reward circuitry, where dopamine and “ping” feedback reinforce repeating behaviors, a mechanism that can boost learning (as in language apps like Duolingo) or affect consumer behavior. The group notes gamification’s potential benefits in education and conservation, while acknowledging the need for balance to avoid compulsive engagement or overjustification effects. The audience questions address neurodiversity, pattern recognition, and how consistent behavior influences trust in social contexts.

Conclusion and reflections

As the audience’s preferences shift toward traitors, the panel reflects on how understanding game theory, biology, and psychology can illuminate both competitive play and everyday interactions. The show closes with thanks to the guests and the Green Man Festival audience, inviting listeners to explore the science of games beyond the stage.