A key direction for research in systems and control involves engineering systems. These are highly distributed collective systems (with decisions, information and objectives distributed throughout) that involve humans. As a result, decisions have the potential to be influenced by socioeconomic factors outside the realm of limited computation capacities. Engineering systems emphasize the potential of control and games beyond traditional applications and game theory can be used to design incentives to obtain socially desirable behaviours on the part of the players, including changing consumption patterns or better traffic distribution. This unique book addresses both the foundations of game theory, with emphasis on the physical intuition behind the concepts, and new trends in the study of cooperation and competition in large complex distributed systems. It is ideal for students and researchers in several aspects of engineering, as well as for social scientists or biologists working on adaption mechanisms and evolutionary dynamics.

This monograph provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of game theory covering the foundations of the theory of noncooperative and cooperative games, both static and dynamic. It also highlights new trends in cooperative differential games, learning, approachability (games with vector payoffs) and mean-field games (large number of homogeneous players). Based on courses given at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, this work emphasizes theoretical foundations, mathematical tools, modeling, and equilibrium notions in different environments. The author uses a tutorial style to illustrate the major points so that the reader can quickly grasp the basics of each concept. The comprehensive reference list enables further research. This is the first tutorial to give such a concise and accessible introduction to the subject. It will be of use to all students, practitioners, and researchers looking to understand the basic concepts, models, and applications of game theory.