# Same strategy, same payoff?

In the context of game theory, I wonder if the following statement is true for any game, if so, how do we prove it.

If every player plays the same strategy in a given game, then the payoff must be the same for everyone.

-
Usually, payoffs are defined to be functions of the strategies, so the result is trivially true. –  Michael Greinecker Feb 18 '12 at 1:02
If everyone plays the strategy of marrying the first person who proposes, the payoffs will definitely not be the same for everyone. –  Gerry Myerson Feb 18 '12 at 2:19
I guess the question cannot be answered without a notion of sameness of strategies. –  Michael Greinecker Feb 18 '12 at 11:24
@MichaelGreinecker, i mean pure strategies in my question. –  Simon Hughes Feb 18 '12 at 12:44
No, not only for symmetric games. $S_1=S_2=\{a,b\}$. Payoffs are given by $u_1(a,a)=u_1(bb)=u_2(a,a)=u_2(bb)=u_2(a,b)=u_2(b,a)=1$, and $u_1(a,b)=u_1(b,a)=2$. This game is not symmetric, but satisfies the criterion. –  Michael Greinecker Feb 19 '12 at 0:44