“IQ–game design” – teacher guide – Detective game
Abstract
Students will design and/or analyse and/or test an IQ
game called Detective Game from the viewpoint of a
game designer. The task is highly dependent on the age of
your students and the amount of time you have for this
type of activity.
First, the students solve a few puzzles (see Student
Handout 1-3) and then they develop their own puzzles.
They also analyse the levels of difficulty, suggest and even design tools for the game (for ex. cards,
figurines, software, smartphone application) for it to be attractive and reachable (solvable) for
everybody from age 9 to 99, and they can also be testers of others' puzzles.
Testing plays a crucial role in calibrating the level of difficulty of the puzzle, verifying the uniqueness
(or the multiplicity) of the solution. The right tools on the other hand are equally as important,
because the main problem with this kind of “puzzle jungle” is to find a suitable frame to somehow
store and organize that enormous amount of information.
Discipline: mathematics, engineering, design, computer science
Duration: from 2x90 minutes to long projects
Target Group: the main target group is upper secondary, but with small modifications the activity can
be used from primary to PD courses with focus depending on the age group
Age range: 9 years – 18 years
Student task:
The Detective game is a version of the famous zebra puzzle, often also called Einstein’s puzzle. Since
this puzzle is very famous, one can find enormous amount of information about it on the internet
(for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_Puzzle). We consider that students should get
familiar with it, because it is a pearl of the mathematical folklore.
In the Detective game, the students get information on the inhabitants of a tiny village. In this village,
there is only one street, and along the street there are five houses in five different colors. In each
house lives a person of a different nationality. These five owners keep a certain pet, drink a certain
beverage and drive a certain type of car. Based on a number of information about the inhabitants the
students need to sort, the students are asked a final question, like “who ones the fish?”
There are three student handouts with different Detective games. Handout 1 and 3 were made and
classified by students themselves during the testing of this task. They found that puzzle number 1 is
easy, puzzle number 2 (the zebra puzzle) is of medium difficulty, and puzzle number 3 is difficult.
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 mascil 2015
Possible scenarios, equipments and teaching notes with different age groups
Primary
Children are working in small groups of 3-4. They receive the student handouts 1 and 2 in sequence.
These puzzles have unique solutions and unique matrices.
If you consider that the task is too difficult for them, you should start with an easier problem. For
example with three houses and more direct conditions.
At this age, children need a suitable tool, a frame to somehow store and organize the enormous
amount of information that is given to them. Without this frame they get lost in the “logic jungle”.
A very successfully used tool was developed by SimpleX Association: we gave the children houses
and picture cards as it is seen on the images below. (On the images the children are mostly 9 year
old.)
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 mascil 2015
The main target for them is to solve the problems. If a group of children gets stuck, we can always
intervene and help them to move forward. Experience shows, that once they get familiar with the
cards, children are quite quick in providing a solution.
From didactical point of view we suggest questions like: After all you are helping detectives, so: would
you go to court with this (because in some cases lives may depend on the proofs you bring)? Are you
sure that you've explored all your options?
This encourages them to actually construct the proof, to show the uniqueness of the solution.
Lower secondary
Here we work the same way as we did in primary school but we add student handout number 3.
Opposed to the other puzzles, this puzzle has also a unique solution but has multiple matrices. When
5-6 groups work simultaneously next to each other, it is quite likely that both matrices come up. Ask
them to show their solution to each other.
If there is time, lower secondary children can be involved in the optimization of the tool for helping
to solve the problem, in designing new tools, and even in creating new puzzles.
Upper secondary
We give them the first puzzle without any tools (this can also be tried in lower secondary). Then with
the second puzzle, we ask them to solve it using our tool. With the third puzzle they are free to work
as they like. Experience shows that most of them will use the tool.
Important part of the task is the optimization of the tool, designing new tools, creating new puzzles
(with unique solution and unique matrix, with multiple solutions and with unique solution but
multiple matrices), discussing about the techniques of creating a puzzle like this, classification of the
difficulty of the puzzles, testing the puzzles, producing a software and so on.
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 mascil 2015
WoW context: The classification of different puzzle designs is a real task from the work of a game
designer. In the case of the zebra puzzle the design of the tool is also crucial. Producing a software to
the puzzle is also a relevant and interesting task in the WoW.
Solutions of the puzzles:
Please take into consideration that the categorization of the puzzles were made by lower secondary
and upper secondary students.
Student handout number 1 (easy)
1
2
3
4
5
Colour
White
Yellow
Red
Blue
Green
Nationality
Swede
German
Brit
Dane
Norwegian
Beverage
Coffee
Milk
Water
Beer
Tea
Pet animal
Goat
Bird
Cat
Dog
Fish
Mercedes
Truck
Tractor
Ferrari
Audi
Car
Student handout number 2 (zebra puzzle, medium difficulty)
1
2
3
4
5
Yellow
Blue
Red
Green
White
Norwegian
Dane
Brit
German
Swede
Beverage
Water
Tea
Milk
Coffee
Beer
Pet animal
Cat
Goat
Bird
Fish
Dog
Car
Audi
Tractor
Ferrari
Mercedes
Truck
Colour
Nationality
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 mascil 2015
Student handout number 3 (difficult)
First solution:
1
2
3
4
5
Green
Yellow
Blue
White
Red
Norwegian
German
Swede
Brit
Dane
Beverage
Tea
Milk
Beer
Coffee
Water
Pet animal
Goat
Fish
Bird
Dog
Cat
Tractor
Ferrari
Truck
Audi
Mercedes
1
2
3
4
5
Green
Yellow
Blue
Red
White
Norwegian
Dane
Brit
German
Swede
Beverage
Tea
Milk
Water
Beer
Coffee
Pet animal
Goat
Cat
Fish
Bird
Dog
Tractor
Ferrari
Audi
Truck
Mercedes
Colour
Nationality
Car
Second solution:
Colour
Nationality
Car
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 mascil 2015