This book introduces game theory and its applications from an applied mathematician's perspective, systematically developing tools and concepts for game-theoretic modelling in the life and social sciences. Filled with down-to-earth examples of strategic behavior in humans and other animals, the book presents a unified account of the central ideas of both classical and evolutionary game theory. Unlike many books on game theory, which focus on mathematical and recreational aspects of the subject, this book emphasizes using games to answer questions of current scientific interest.

In the present third edition, the author has added substantial new material on evolutionarily stable strategies and their use in behavioral ecology. The only prerequisites are calculus and some exposure to matrix algebra, probability, and differential equations.