Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are [Hardcover]

V. Raghunathan (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Portfolio (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670999407
• ISBN-13: 978-0670999408
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,343,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Right title; wrong sub-title, March 30, 2008

By 

Sheetal Bahl (New Delhi, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are (Hardcover)

This book is about "Games Indians Play" - no doubt about that. The author spares no opportunity available to go on endlessly about the million games they play and the million wrong things they do. And then he finds more opportunities to the same. What he does not do anywhere, however, in the book, is to explain "why we are the way we are". Every time he gets anywhere close to having to explain, he conveniently dives into game theory and other tools, recounts some interesting problems, draws some analogies, and then sneaks away nonchalantly hoping that nobody would notice his getaway. This could have worked, if the analogies were not largely focused on the outcomes instead of the causes and if they could have allowed for segregation of Indian behaviour from universal behaviour. As an example, the author draws the conclusion that Indians behave like "squealers" because it is the rational and intelligent thing to as shown by the "simple prisoner's dilemma". Thereafter, he casually also mentions that this behaviour is universally applicable and not just to Indians, and then goes onto say "But what is striking is that, in most situations, we Indians do not even see the dilemma. Defection seems to be our natural setting." And that's it. So where, Mr.Raghunathan, is the blinding insight about why we "do not even see the dilemma" or why we are different from the rest of the world? Is it our history, our geography, our genes, or something else? Why don't I see any mention of causal factors in this book? And when there are causal factors, why are they always universally applicable and never specific to Indians, making them useless in this context?

Frankly, I was very disappointed with the below-average analysis and deductions in this book, especially given the author's pedigree. The only thing I can give it credit for is that it is still a reasonably entertaining and well-written read, especially if you are a fan of pop Mathematics. Actually, that is where the author's strength may lie and what he might want to consider writing books on in the future.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do you ever scratch your head and ask "WHY?!", May 26, 2007

By 

parent j & p (expat) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are (Hardcover)

As an expat currently living in India, this book affirmed what I've found difficult and perplexing about living in New Delhi. The constant helplessness, petty jealousies and a sense that some of the observed poverty is just another one of India's treasured rackets (an alternative route for their bizarre and seemingly increasing corruption) is overwhelming and frustrating to watch on a day-to-day basis. I enjoyed this book immensely as it helped me to understand the behavior I see around me, why it continues without change (or question) and in the end, why and how others perceive their continued benefit from this seemingly irrational paradigm (from a Western view point).

Listening to Indians and the media in India, there is a view that Westerners are selfish, lack connected communities and have no "family values" or "morals" (whatever this means by whomever defines it). It's almost as if Indians have it reversed from Westerners. In particular, Americans who value personal independence coupled with a sense of civic duty and responsibility to others whereas Indians emphasize family and communal relationships to guide their behavior and actions but do not necessarily extend their concerns outside their immediate circle.

If you are curious about India as an up and coming "Super Power," get your hands on this book. Mr. Raghunathan has done a wonderful job using game theory to explain how your average Indian views and responds to other Indians as well as the world in general.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow analysis, doesn't inspire further thought, March 19, 2009

By 

Rao Anand - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are (Hardcover)

This could have been acceptable as a blog, but as a printed book by an academician from one of the prestigious management schools in India it is very disappointing. The lists of 'games' that people in India play is impressive but not very original. Any person, Indian or foreign, who lives in India for a while can come out with a similar list of rants. Where the book disappoints sorely is in not answering or even attempting to answer the question in the subtitle. It's an interesting idea to relate game theory to the behaviour of people but that again is not original. Use of derisive, controversial and unjustified phrases like 'the Hindu rate of growth' as a sort of gospel truth reveals the author's lack of prefessionalism and rigour. Someone the Mahatma Gandhi would have called a 'drains inspector' ..