Blotto games

Blotto games are games where two people or groups secretly choose how they will distribute things like money or resources, and then reveal their choices to each other.

To understand this better, let's pretend that you and your friend are playing a blotto game. The game is about how you will divide 10 pieces of candy between the two of you.

You and your friend will write down secretly how many pieces of candy you want for yourself in each round. For example, in round one, you might write that you want 6 candies for yourself, while your friend writes that they want 4 candies for themselves.

When both of you have written down your choices, you will reveal them to each other. In this round, you asked for 6 candies, which is more than half of the total number of candies. That means that you get more candies! You will get 6 candies, while your friend will only get 4.

In the next round, you and your friend will write down your choices secretly again. Let's say you want 2 candies for yourself, while your friend wants 8 candies for themselves. You both reveal your choices, and this time, your friend asked for more than half of the candies. That means your friend will get more candies, and you will only get 2.

These are blotto games! They can be used to teach about fairness, negotiation, math, and strategy. Just like with candies, blotto games can be played with many different things, like money, land, or resources.