---
key: mechanic/shared-family-02
type: mechanic
id: shared-family-02
lang: en
title: Search and discovery
summary: >-
  The player finds a target among the details of a scene. A clue guides their
  attention; finding the target gives clear confirmation.
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/shared-family-02/'
jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/shared-family-02.json'
markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/shared-family-02.md'
aliases: []
tags:
  - Children’s games
  - 'Perception, attention and information'
  - Educational games
sourceIds:
  - source-804a52d40e5a173b
  - source-408fd46b04b95933
sources:
  - id: source-804a52d40e5a173b
    title: Hidden Folks
    url: 'https://hiddenfolks.com/press/hidden-folks-1'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-408fd46b04b95933
    title: Hidden Through Time
    url: 'https://www.rogueside.com/hidden-through-time/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: children
    id: family-02
    title: Children’s games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/children/#family-02'
    categoryIds:
      - perception
  - catalogId: education
    id: family-02
    title: Educational games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-02'
    categoryIds:
      - perception
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
    title: Search and discovery
    description: >-
      The player finds a target among the details of a scene. A clue guides
      their attention; finding the target gives clear confirmation.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/hidden-folks-jungle.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      crop:
        x: 422
        'y': 56
        width: 759
        height: 754
      game: Hidden Folks
      sourceUrl: 'https://hiddenfolks.com/press/hidden-folks-1'
      originalUrl: 'https://hiddenfolks.com/images/hf1/HiddenFolks-JungleTutorial.png'
      credit: Adriaan de Jongh & Sylvain Tegroeg
      rights: © Adriaan de Jongh & Sylvain Tegroeg. All rights reserved.
      alt: >-
        Hidden Folks: a jungle scene with characters, a discovered explorer and
        the target strip with a written clue below.
      caption: Find the explorer in the jungle
      markers:
        - x: 53.5
          'y': 94
          label: Target and clue
        - x: 64
          'y': 42
          label: Discovered character
    tips:
      - Add scene complexity rather than shrinking the target to a pixel.
      - Offer a clue on request and clearly confirm each find.
    examples:
      - title: Hidden Folks
        url: 'https://hiddenfolks.com/press/hidden-folks-1'
      - title: Hidden Through Time
        url: 'https://www.rogueside.com/hidden-through-time/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Play-focused selection adapted from the original children-education taxonomy,
  with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Developer sources support
  specific examples, not the entire classification.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/children
---
# Search and discovery

id: shared-family-02
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/shared-family-02
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/shared-family-02/

The player finds a target among the details of a scene. A clue guides their attention; finding the target gives clear confirmation.

## At a glance

![Hidden Folks: a jungle scene with characters, a discovered explorer and the target strip with a written clue below.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/hidden-folks-jungle.webp)

[Hidden Folks](https://hiddenfolks.com/press/hidden-folks-1) · © Adriaan de Jongh & Sylvain Tegroeg. All rights reserved.

1. Target and clue
2. Discovered character

- Add scene complexity rather than shrinking the target to a pixel.
- Offer a clue on request and clearly confirm each find.

- [Hidden Folks](https://hiddenfolks.com/press/hidden-folks-1)
- [Hidden Through Time](https://www.rogueside.com/hidden-through-time/)

## How it works

Find an object in a scene

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-02-branch-1"></a>

- Find an object in a scene <a id="family-02-variant-1"></a>
- Find all objects of a specified type <a id="family-02-variant-2"></a>
- Find differences <a id="family-02-variant-3"></a>
- Find a hidden or partly obscured object <a id="family-02-variant-4"></a>
- Find an object from a verbal description <a id="family-02-variant-5"></a>
- Locate a sound source <a id="family-02-variant-6"></a>
- Search by several properties <a id="family-02-variant-7"></a>
- Find an anomaly <a id="family-02-variant-8"></a>
- Find a missing element <a id="family-02-variant-9"></a>
- Search with a magnifier, flashlight or scanner <a id="family-02-variant-10"></a>

## Design example

Find room objects whose names begin with a specified sound.

## Context and limits

An action map for children’s digital, board, active and mixed games. An instructional goal is optional: children can invent stories, explore toys, compete or enjoy play itself. Select age suitability, reading demands, controls and pace separately; different implementations can suit different ages. Learning tasks and instructional support have their own reference.

## Context: Educational games

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

Play-focused selection adapted from the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Developer sources support specific examples, not the entire classification.

- [Hidden Folks](https://hiddenfolks.com/press/hidden-folks-1) (id: source-804a52d40e5a173b)
- [Hidden Through Time](https://www.rogueside.com/hidden-through-time/) (id: source-408fd46b04b95933)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors