Score: 0
File 1 ยท 2:00
Rotate Device

Please rotate your device to landscape mode.

About Data Detective

Judge study claims in this free online statistics game about correlation vs causation, cherry-picked charts and statistical power.

Data Detective is a statistics game and media literacy game in one. You play a fact-checker at a science desk, stamping APPROVE or REJECT on incoming study preprints. Every file pairs a bold headline claim with a chart and its vital statistics, modeled on the real work of peer reviewers and newsroom fact-checkers who decide which findings deserve to be published.

Each flaw in the game is a real statistical trap. A scatter plot where two things rise together does not prove one causes the other, because correlation is not causation. A bar chart with a truncated axis exaggerates tiny differences. A study with a tiny sample size is underpowered and easily swayed by luck. A team that tests twenty questions and publishes the one that came out significant is p-hacking. Confounding variables, survivorship bias and relative risk that ignores the base rate round out the tricks you will learn to spot at a glance.

These skills matter far beyond the lab. Advertisers, influencers and even news headlines use the same tricks to make weak evidence look dramatic. The replication crisis showed that even published science can fail to hold up when independent teams repeat it. Players who finish Data Detective leave with a permanent upgrade to their baloney detection kit.

Key Science Concepts

What You'll Learn

Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College

Related Games

Explore more free science games at Science Games Lab

How to play

  1. Read the File Each preprint shows a bold claim, a chart and its stats: n, p and design.
  2. Stamp a Verdict APPROVE honest studies. REJECT rigged ones before the shift ends.
  3. Name the Flaw After REJECT, tag the exact trick it used for a +60 bonus.
  4. Beat the Shift Clock Your shift lasts 2 minutes. The final 20 seconds pay +50% points.
  5. Second Look Tap the Credibility gauge to spotlight the suspicious detail for a moment.
  6. Shoo Spin Doctors Gnats rewrite headlines into clickbait. Tap them for +15 points.

Frequently asked questions

Is Data Detective free to play?
Yes. Data Detective is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, install or account needed.
What grade level is Data Detective for?
Data Detective is designed for Middle School, High School, College students and works well as a classroom activity or homework.
Does Data Detective work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Data Detective runs in any modern browser on desktop computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones in landscape mode.

More like this

Back to the game