Choosing a commitment means choosing which intertemporal game to play

Evidence

When one wonders whether to enter into a binding commitment one is really wondering which intertemporal game to play. This can be clearly seen in the case of an exchange of contracts on a house. The penalty (loss of money, honour, and so forth) for breaking a verbal agreement is usually less than the penalty for breaking the legal agreement that is entailed on exchange of contracts. — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 831

I also think it best not to dwell too long on it, because it tends to distract from trust itself. When one wonders whether to enter into a binding commitment one is really wondering which intertemporal game to play. — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 831

Categorization

• DEFINE: Frames ‘commitment’ operationally as game-selection rather than moral obligation.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 831