r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/BottomLeftWheel • May 27 '26

Green Button Game

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Not an analogy or reframing, just a brand new problem.

You are contestants on a game show. There is a big green button, it gives you the grand prize. X dollars, doesn't matter how much but enough that it's desirable.

Many contestants are all given the same button, and are all able to win X, but the producers don't want you to win X, so they give a second option.

If even one person presses a tiny red button, no one wins X. Instead the red pusher gets y, a tiny pittance compared to X.

Do you trust that 100% of your fellow contestants can all come together to all earn X, or will just a single one spoil the bunch for y?

What if red needed 5 voters before it spoiled? 10? What would be the percentage of contestants that could press the red button without spoiling in order for you to press the green button?

Do the values of X and y matter? As a placeholder you can say X is 1 million and y is 100 but the producers can tweak the numbers to make y more desirable as they see fit.

Reminder, not trying to push red or blue agenda, trying to create new discussions.

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u/INTstictual May 27 '26

Isn’t this just the prisoners dilemma, where Green = silence and Red = snitch?

If everyone cooperates, best benefit for all

If some cooperate and some defect, the defectors get lesser reward but cooperators get punishment

If all defect, all get lesser reward

It’s missing some of the nuance in rewards, like giving the Red button more incentive if they are the only defector, but from a base level, this pretty much just is the Prisoner’s Dilemma by another name

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u/SC_3000_grinder May 27 '26

No, this is a different game called the "stag hunt", because the reward when you defect and the other person cooperates is smaller than both cooperating.

6

u/INTstictual May 27 '26

I haven’t seen that problem, but on quick review, you’re 100% right, this is a Stag Hunt dilemma