---
key: mechanic/education--family-23
type: mechanic
id: education--family-23
lang: en
title: Experiment and investigation
summary: >-
  The learner asks a question, changes conditions and tests a hypothesis through
  observation, drawing conclusions from the result.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-23/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-23.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-23.md
aliases:
  - Experiment and inquiry
tags:
  - Educational games
  - 'Quantity, investigation and systems'
sourceIds:
  - source-757ea6a8256a6907
  - source-090ee83445744667
sources:
  - id: source-757ea6a8256a6907
    title: 'PhET: inquiry activities with simulations'
    url: 'https://phet.colorado.edu/files/guides/UG-Guide-HW_en.pdf'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-090ee83445744667
    title: The Operator
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: education
    id: family-23
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-23'
    categoryIds:
      - systems
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Experiment and inquiry
    description: >-
      The learner asks a question, changes conditions and tests a hypothesis
      through observation, drawing conclusions from the result.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/narrative-the-operator-08.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_53cdfb9a020be84bd244dba7817656b1c37a176f.1920x1080.jpg?t=1778485297
      credit: Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova
      rights: © Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova. All rights reserved.
      caption: An instrument reveals the examined sample’s composition
      alt: An instrument reveals the examined sample’s composition
      markers:
        - x: 56
          'y': 58
          label: The graph adds information unavailable through ordinary inspection
    tips:
      - Change one relevant factor at a time and compare results.
    examples:
      - title: The Operator
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the
  original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated
  2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire
  classification or its effectiveness.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/education
---
# Experiment and investigation

id: education--family-23
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/education--family-23
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-23/

The learner asks a question, changes conditions and tests a hypothesis through observation, drawing conclusions from the result.

## At a glance

![An instrument reveals the examined sample’s composition](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/narrative-the-operator-08.webp)

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

1. The graph adds information unavailable through ordinary inspection

- Change one relevant factor at a time and compare results.

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

## How it works

Formulate a question

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-23-branch-1"></a>

- Formulate a question <a id="family-23-variant-1"></a>
- Propose a hypothesis <a id="family-23-variant-2"></a>
- Select a variable <a id="family-23-variant-3"></a>
- Change one factor <a id="family-23-variant-4"></a>
- Compare with a control <a id="family-23-variant-5"></a>
- Repeat an experiment <a id="family-23-variant-6"></a>
- Record observations <a id="family-23-variant-7"></a>
- Compare hypothesis and result <a id="family-23-variant-8"></a>
- Plan the next experiment <a id="family-23-variant-9"></a>
- Identify confounds <a id="family-23-variant-10"></a>
- Choose a discriminating experiment <a id="family-23-variant-11"></a>
- Explain conclusion limits <a id="family-23-variant-12"></a>

## Design example

Test how light quantity affects virtual plant growth.

## Context and limits

A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.

- [PhET: inquiry activities with simulations](https://phet.colorado.edu/files/guides/UG-Guide-HW_en.pdf) (id: source-757ea6a8256a6907)
- [The Operator](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/) (id: source-090ee83445744667)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors