Public goods games involve the competitive interaction between players or organisms who produce a commonly available good (cooperators) and those who consume without producing (cheaters, defectors, freeloaders); several instances are known to occur in nature and economics. The basic solution that freeloading is a better choice from an individual standpoint corresponds to the “tragedy of the commons” - why should you contribute to an effort, if you could also benefit without contributing? I will present various mathematical paths out of this dilemma within the context of evolutionary game theory, including the stabilization of cooperative coexistence, the effects of spatial distribution, and compensation in structured populations.