2y ago

A history of Rock papier scissors game theory

(OC)

Alt text:

Timeline reading "All ties" from the far left until "Invention of scissors, -3000". Then it's reading "Rock advantage" until a second marker called "Invention of paper, -179". The final description from there to the far right reads "Balanced".

28 comments

For a more exiting game of rock/paper/scissors, play for 5 points, each win 1 point, except if you win with rock, thats give you 2 points.
- That actually sounds fun! I first thought it's a joke but it sounds like meta strategy.
  Actually it's just strategy but meta makes it sound cooler so meta strategy it is.

Now do Snakes and Ladders
- A game about being bitten by snakes no matter what until roughly 10.000 years ago

Need to add the nuke in 1945AD. Strong nuke advantage
- F tier, unused in meta since launch.
- I want to make a joke about Oppenheimer but I haven't seen the new Barbie movie

Banger post

For obvious reasons, the scissors weren't added until the discovery of metal in the Iron Age.

Good ol' rock.
- Nothing beats rock!
  
  Except paper

Imagine it being called "Rock paper scissors" before the latter two having been invented.
- We should start playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, Blaartuu, in anticipation of the invention of Blaartuu.

What did they cover their rocks with before paper?

@emidio I choked on my saliva reading this.
- Sorry, shall I make another meme for you to spit it out?
  
  Memes are for swallowers!

Pretty sure paper was invented a bit earlier?
- You may be thinking of other media for writing like papyrus or animal hides
  
  Indeed the mainstream media before was papyrus which is a bit different than paper. There was also an interesting thing where they cut bamboos to make some planks which where stringed together. They would write on the inside of the planks
  
  Paper was invented in China by Cai Lun who died in 121 CE. It's definitely a lot older than 179 years ago.