Coursera - Competitive Strategy by Tobias Kretschmer

Having never done a Game Theory course before, I initially took the course just out of curiosity, but it turned out to be so gripping and interesting that I stuck on right till the end. The course mainly deals with the actions a player takes in different circumstances, evaluating payoffs and deciding market strategies . LMU Professor Tobias Kretschmer and the staff have worked really hard in creating an exhaustive content which is explained in a simplified manner.

The course material was evenly loaded throughout the 6 weeks. The main topics covered were -

• Simultaneous and Sequential Games
• Repeated Games and Commitment
• Complements and Cooperation
• Entry Strategies and Entry Deterrence
• R&D Innovation
• Bertrand Paradox and Product Differentiation

There were in-video quizzes which tested your concepts, weekly quizzes which were a bit harder and a final exam of 25 questions which tested the mixed application of each week's knowledge onto different problem sets. The course had two tracks with a minor certificate to be given to all those who had attempted all the quizzes while the major one was received on achieving at least 50% or better on the total grade.

The fourth week on Entry Strategies used by new entrants fascinated me the most. Each and every strategy had its own novelty and when combined with the Entry Deterrence Strategies felt more like a game of chess where each player is looking to outsmart the other by playing deadly moves. 

The best thing about the course was definitely the way by which I could relate to the course material even without prior knowledge of Game Theory concepts. Even my friends who had watched just a few of the videos along with me were impressed with Professor Kretschmer's teaching style. He made special videos to address the major doubts posted in the forums and worked extra hard to solve the in-video quiz errors. This might have been the first offering of the course but effort-wise the course was perfect in every sense.