Difference of reciprocity effect in two coevolutionary models of presumed two-player and multiplayer games

Unlike other natural network systems, assortativity can be observed in most human social networks; however, it has been reported that a social dilemma situation represented by a 2×2 prisoner's dilemma game favors dissortativity to enhance cooperation. Our simulations successfully reveal that a public goods game with coevolution for both agents' strategy and network topology encourages assortativity, although it only slightly enhances cooperation as compared to a 2×2 donor and recipient game with a strong dilemma to be solved. This outcome occurs because the network dynamics in a multiplayer game discourages emerging cooperation unlike its beneficial result in a 2×2 prisoner's dilemma game.