The cooperation (or altruism) of people has long been investigated before the days of Batman or the Joker, using non-zero sum games, or games in which the gains and losses do not sum to zero. In these games, if the players cooperate they minimize their losses and maximize their total gains. The findings indicate that even if it is in the players' interests to cooperate, most people compete anyway.
The best-known game of this kind is called Prisoner's Dilemma. Pairs of subjects role-play being suspects in a crime. They get interrogated separately by the district attorney and are given two alternatives - to confess or to remain silent. The game is worked out so that if both remain silent, there can be only minor charges lodged against them. If one confesses and the other remains silent, the confessor receives immunity from punishment and the other one gets the severe punishment. If both confess, they both get severe sentences. The best strategy is for both to be cooperative and not confess. The research shows, however, that players tend to confess in the hope of beating out the other. But since both confess, both lose. Maybe the Batman movies aren't so dark after all.
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