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[2507.19593] A Survey on Hypergame Theory: Modeling Misaligned Perceptions and Nested Beliefs for Multi-agent Systems
Summary
This article surveys hypergame theory, focusing on modeling misaligned perceptions and nested beliefs in multi-agent systems, highlighting its applications and challenges.
Why It Matters
Understanding hypergame theory is crucial for improving strategic modeling in multi-agent systems, particularly in contexts where agents have divergent beliefs and perceptions. This survey identifies gaps and opportunities for future research, making it relevant for researchers and practitioners in AI and multi-agent systems.
Key Takeaways
- Hypergame theory extends classical game theory by modeling agents' subjective perceptions.
- The review analyzes 44 studies across various fields, revealing trends and structural gaps.
- Hierarchical and graph-based models are prevalent in deceptive reasoning applications.
- There is a limited adoption of HNF-based models and a lack of formal hypergame languages.
- The paper provides a roadmap for enhancing strategic modeling in dynamic multi-agent environments.
Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence arXiv:2507.19593 (cs) [Submitted on 25 Jul 2025 (v1), last revised 13 Feb 2026 (this version, v2)] Title:A Survey on Hypergame Theory: Modeling Misaligned Perceptions and Nested Beliefs for Multi-agent Systems Authors:Vince Trencsenyi, Agnieszka Mensfelt, Kostas Stathis View a PDF of the paper titled A Survey on Hypergame Theory: Modeling Misaligned Perceptions and Nested Beliefs for Multi-agent Systems, by Vince Trencsenyi and Agnieszka Mensfelt and Kostas Stathis View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Classical game-theoretic models typically assume rational agents, complete information, and common knowledge of payoffs - assumptions that are often violated in real-world MAS characterized by uncertainty, misaligned perceptions, and nested beliefs. To overcome these limitations, researchers have proposed extensions that incorporate models of cognitive constraints, subjective beliefs, and heterogeneous reasoning. Among these, hypergame theory extends the classical paradigm by explicitly modeling agents' subjective perceptions of the strategic scenario, known as perceptual games, in which agents may hold divergent beliefs about the structure, payoffs, or available actions. We present a systematic review of agent-compatible applications of hypergame theory, examining how its descriptive capabilities have been adapted to dynamic and interactive MAS contexts. We analyze 44 selected studies from cybersecurity, robotics, social simulation...
