---
key: mechanic/detective--family-09
type: mechanic
id: detective--family-09
lang: en
title: Information-database search
summary: >-
  A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals previously
  unknown parts of the case.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-09/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-09.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-09.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Detective games
  - Witnesses and information sources
sourceIds:
  - source-653210cf80cd2de3
  - source-090ee83445744667
sources:
  - id: source-653210cf80cd2de3
    title: Her Story
    url: 'https://playism.com/en/game/her-story/'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-090ee83445744667
    title: The Operator
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: detective
    id: family-09
    title: Detective games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-09'
    categoryIds:
      - testimony
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Information-database search
    description: >-
      A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals
      previously unknown parts of the case.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/narrative-the-operator-02.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: The Operator
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1771980/ss_613084ae51e3357660fc79c80edaf0385245d951.1920x1080.jpg?t=1778485297
      credit: Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova
      rights: © Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova. All rights reserved.
      caption: A name becomes a query in HumanDB
      alt: A name becomes a query in HumanDB
      markers:
        - x: 21
          'y': 48
          label: The Connie Moore query opens the corresponding record
    tips:
      - Let players obtain query terms from evidence they already have.
    examples:
      - title: The Operator
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original editorial taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-19.
  Primary developer and publisher sources support specific released-game
  examples, not the whole classification; design examples are hypothetical.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/detective
---
# Information-database search

id: detective--family-09
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/detective--family-09
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-09/

A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals previously unknown parts of the case.

## At a glance

![A name becomes a query in HumanDB](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/narrative-the-operator-02.webp)

[The Operator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/) · © Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova. All rights reserved.

1. The Connie Moore query opens the corresponding record

- Let players obtain query terms from evidence they already have.

- [The Operator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/)

## How it works

A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals previously unknown parts of the case.

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-09-branch-1"></a>

- Keyword search: use a phrase heard in one recording to find a related record. <a id="family-09-variant-1"></a>
- Identifier chain: move from an address to an organization, then to connected people. <a id="family-09-variant-2"></a>
- Query refinement: change spelling, period or category when the initial results are incomplete. <a id="family-09-variant-3"></a>

## Design example

An unusual nickname appears in a recording. Searching for it finds an interview missed by a surname query.

## Context and limits

A working map of detective design: 32 families and 96 variants. The core loop is to find information, form a hypothesis, test it and explain a conclusion. Answer formats, hints and investigation structure are treated separately. Families overlap, design examples are hypothetical, and released-game examples cite primary sources without revealing case solutions.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original editorial taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-19. Primary developer and publisher sources support specific released-game examples, not the whole classification; design examples are hypothetical.

- [Her Story](https://playism.com/en/game/her-story/) (id: source-653210cf80cd2de3)
- [The Operator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/) (id: source-090ee83445744667)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors