Game theory for systems engineering: a survey

Game theory is a useful modelling approach to analyse complex systems with multiple stakeholders, describe their decision-making process, and the impact these decisions have on the overall system performance. In this paper, we review the use of game theory models in the systems engineering domain. Our approach was to conduct an extensive literature review in systems engineering related journals on game theory and systems engineering content. We have identified major application areas of game theory within systems engineering, such as electricity markets, security systems, and supply chain; which we discuss in detail. This paper aggregates notable research to date to provide an overview of the models that have been used to analyse different systems engineering problems. The paper also provides an extensive description of different game properties. This work aims to highlight the potential contribution game theory brings to solving systems engineering problems and its potential for the future.