Free Riding, Coordination
The Ghosted Deadline
The Ghosted Deadline is a Free Riding and Coordination scenario. The core lesson: In any group project, the work will get done, the question is who does it, and whether the person who disappeared learns anything from the answer. Group project due Friday. There are four of you. DecisionPlay maps the players, payoffs, and equilibrium dynamics that shape how this situation typically resolves.
The situation
Group project due Friday. There are four of you. It's Wednesday. One person has gone completely dark since Monday, no replies, no work submitted. The other three are now texting in a side channel.
Background
Group free-riding is one of the most reliably documented patterns in experimental economics. When individual contributions are hard to verify, some fraction of participants will defect while others compensate. What makes this scenario specific: one person disappearing near a deadline creates a trilemma for the remaining group, absorb the work, call them out, or miss the deadline. Most groups absorb the work and say nothing, which is exactly how the pattern persists.
What this reveals
The work gets done, the question is who does it
In any group project, the remaining members will almost always absorb the absent member's work rather than miss the deadline. The free-rider is counting on this. They are usually right. The solution is to make the bet less safe before anyone is tempted to test it: individual attribution, direct communication early, and formal peer evaluation structures all change the calculus before the disappearing act happens.
How to counter it: At the start of any group project, establish how contributions will be tracked and attributed. Not because you distrust anyone, because visible accountability changes everyone's incentives before anyone is tempted to test the alternative.
A question to sit with
Have you ever done someone else's work in a group project and said nothing about it? What did you learn about how they approach collaboration after that?
Frequently asked questions
- What game theory concept does The Ghosted Deadline illustrate?
- The Ghosted Deadline illustrates Free Riding, Coordination. In any group project, the work will get done, the question is who does it, and whether the person who disappeared learns anything from the answer.
- What is the situation in The Ghosted Deadline?
- Group project due Friday. There are four of you. It's Wednesday.
- What does The Ghosted Deadline reveal about how people decide?
- The work gets done, the question is who does it. In any group project, the remaining members will almost always absorb the absent member's work rather than miss the deadline. The free-rider is counting on this. They are usually right. The solution is to make the bet less safe before anyone is tempted to test it: individual attribution, direct communication early, and formal peer evaluation structures all change the calculus before the disappearing act happens.
- How do you avoid the trap in The Ghosted Deadline?
- At the start of any group project, establish how contributions will be tracked and attributed. Not because you distrust anyone, because visible accountability changes everyone's incentives before anyone is tempted to test the alternative.
- What is the research behind The Ghosted Deadline?
- Group free-riding is one of the most reliably documented patterns in experimental economics. When individual contributions are hard to verify, some fraction of participants will defect while others compensate. What makes this scenario specific: one person disappearing near a deadline creates a trilemma for the remaining group, absorb the work, call them out, or miss the deadline.
- How long does The Ghosted Deadline take to play?
- About 8 min, at core difficulty, across 4 decision points. It runs in your browser with no account and no sign-in.
Keep exploring
More Everyday Standoffs scenarios, or browse all scenarios. New to this? Start with how DecisionPlay works or the game theory glossary.
Topics: free-riding, group-work, accountability, season-1