Games from Basic Data Structures

In this paper, we consider combinatorial game rulesets based on data structures normally covered in an undergraduate Computer Science Data Structures course: arrays, stacks, queues, priority queues, sets, linked lists, and binary trees. We describe many rulesets as well as computational and mathematical properties about them. Two of the rulesets, Tower Nim and Myopic Col, are new. We show polynomial-time solutions to Tower Nim and to Myopic Col on paths.