# Games Agents Play: Towards Transactional Analysis in LLM-based Multi-Agent Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.21354 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.21354/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Social simulation and multi-agent debate, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 23 of its 51 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 Jul 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Social simulation and multi-agent debate](https://mlsanity.com/agents/social-simulation-and-multi-agent-debate/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 23 of 23)

- [ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.03629/) (2022)
- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [Billion-scale similarity search with GPUs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1702.08734/) (2017)
- [A Survey on Large Language Model based Autonomous Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.11432/) (2023)
- [Out of One, Many: Using Language Models to Simulate Human Samples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.06899/) (2022)
- [Multi-Agent Collaboration Mechanisms: A Survey of LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.06322/) (2025)
- [Cognitive Architectures for Language Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.02427/) (2023)
- [Large Language Models Empowered Agent-based Modeling and Simulation: A Survey and Perspectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.11970/) (2023)
- [LLM-Based Multi-Agent Systems for Software Engineering: Literature Review, Vision and the Road Ahead](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04834/) (2024)
- [Large Language Models and Cognitive Science: A Comprehensive Review of Similarities, Differences, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.02387/) (2024)
- [LLM-Augmented Agent-Based Modelling for Social Simulations: Challenges and Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.06700/) (2024)
- [Cognitive Personalized Search Integrating Large Language Models with an Efficient Memory Mechanism](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.10548/) (2024)
- [On the limits of agency in agent-based models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.10568/) (2024)
- [AdaSociety: An Adaptive Environment with Social Structures for Multi-Agent Decision-Making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.03865/) (2024)
- [Decompose-ToM: Enhancing Theory of Mind Reasoning in Large Language Models through Simulation and Task Decomposition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.09056/) (2025)
- [Multi-Agents are Social Groups: Investigating Social Influence of Multiple Agents in Human-Agent Interactions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.04578/) (2024)
- [An Analysis and Comparison of ACT-R and Soar](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.09305/) (2022)
- [Bootstrapping Cognitive Agents with a Large Language Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00810/) (2024)
- [ElliottAgents: A Natural Language-Driven Multi-Agent System for Stock Market Analysis and Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.03435/) (2025)
- [Predicting and Understanding Human Action Decisions: Insights from Large Language Models and Cognitive Instance-Based Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.09281/) (2024)
- [Casevo: A Cognitive Agents and Social Evolution Simulator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.19498/) (2024)
- [Can Agents Spontaneously Form a Society? Introducing a Novel Architecture for Generative Multi-Agents to Elicit Social Emergence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.06750/) (2024)
- [Reality-Aware Social Choice](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.10117/) (2017)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Multi-Agent Dialectical Refinement for Enhanced Argument Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.27451/) (2026)
- [Improving Implicit Hate Speech Detection via a Community-Driven Multi-Agent Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.09342/) (2026)
- [Towards Mitigating Fabricated Consensus: The Active Provenance Gate for Multi-Agent Debate Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.31422/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are increasingly used to simulate social interactions, but most of the frameworks miss the underlying cognitive complexity of human behavior. In this paper, we introduce Trans-ACT (Transactional Analysis Cognitive Toolkit), an approach embedding Transactional Analysis (TA) principles into MAS to generate agents with realistic psychological dynamics. Trans-ACT integrates the Parent, Adult, and Child ego states into an agent's cognitive architecture. Each ego state retrieves context-specific memories and uses them to shape response to new situations. The final answer is chosen according to the underlying life script of the agent. Our experimental simulation, which reproduces the Stupid game scenario, demonstrates that agents grounded in cognitive and TA principles produce deeper and context-aware interactions. Looking ahead, our research opens a new way for a variety of applications, including conflict resolution, educational support, and advanced social psychology studies.