Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics used in economics and other social sciences to model strategic interactions between players. It was invented in 1944 by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. Some key methods in game theory include minimax-maxmin principle, mixed strategy/odds method, and graphical game theory. Game theory is used to understand competitor strategies in business and analyze two-person and multi-person games, including zero-sum games where one player's gain results in another's loss.