A value for <i>n</i>-person games

At the foundation of the theory of games is the assumption that the players of a game can evaluate, in their utility scales, every “prospect” that might arise as a result of a play. In attempting to apply the theory to any field, one would normally expect to be permitted to include, in the class of “prospects,” the prospect of having to play a game. The possibility of evaluating games is therefore of critical importance. So long as the theory is unable to assign values to the games typically found in application, only relatively simple situations—where games do not depend on other games—will be susceptible to analysis and solution.