Death Pact

In game theory, a death pact is a strategic commitment mechanism where players agree to trigger a mutually destructive outcome if any participant deviates from a cooperative agreement. Unlike standard cooperation games where players retain the option to defect for a small gain, a death pact legally, physically, or financially binds all parties to a shared penalty. By ensuring that any individual defection triggers a catastrophic payoff for the entire group, the mechanism alters the strategic landscape of the interaction. This design converts a standard Prisoner’s Dilemma—where players are incentivized to betray one another—into a coordination game where mutual cooperation becomes