Introduction [to a special issue of Games and Economic Behavior devoted to what we call experimental game theory]...

This special issue of Games and Economic Behavior is devoted to what we call experimental game theory, and the intention is threefold. First, we want to provide a window into one of the exciting new areas in game theoretic research. Second, we try to collect in one place some of the best current work that spans many of the interesting topics current]y being studied. Third, we hope to encourage more game theorists to think about the behavioral and empirical content of their models, particularly in relation to data from carefully controlled laboratory experiments. The belief is that theory and experiment do not develop independently and the expectation is that better interaction will ultimately lead to both better theory and better experiment