Improving energy efficiency is one of the key challenges facing Wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which are becoming more ubiquitous by the day. Since the nodes (sensors) often have to rely upon limited energy stores to execute their job of data collection as relaying of data from other nodes, optimization of data transfer path becomes important to enhance the network lifetime. Grouping of nodes into a cluster with a cluster head (CH) is a common way of achieving this.
However, the two roles of nodes as data collectors and data relays are in conflict with each other with respect to energy consumption; as the data relay operation (necessary for the proper functioning of the network as a whole) digs into the limited energy stores, it may reduce the node’s lifetime, hindering its data collection. This inherent conflict, between self-survival and contribution to the network, opens up interesting avenues for the use of Game Theory in modelling sensor networks. One such model, DEGRA, has been presented in this study along with comparison to other models, namely LEACH and DEER. The algorithm accomplishes this by taking into account the residual energy of the node in question as well that of the surrounding nodes.