# Research Quest

> Research Quest is a free browser game that teaches research methods, statistics and academic publishing through 15 mystery missions, 5 boss battles and real statistical tools. Built for undergraduate, MBA, master's and PhD students. No AI, no fees.

Research Quest is published by FreeStatisticalTools.com (author: Bibin Xavier). Landing page: https://freestatisticaltools.com/research-quest/ · Play: https://freestatisticaltools.com/research-quest/play/

## Key facts
- Type: free educational mystery game in the web browser; no installation
- Price: free; no in-game purchases, subscriptions or paid hints
- AI: none. All content is pre-written; answers are graded by fixed rules on the server
- Audience: undergraduate, MBA, master's and PhD students; research methods teachers
- Content: 6 worlds, 15 missions, 5 boss battles, 131 tasks, 9 statistical lab tasks, 11 synthetic datasets, 5 verifiable certificates
- Settings: Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Türkiye, Vietnam
- Login: free FreeStatisticalTools.com (WordPress) account; progress saved on the server
- Teachers: classes with join codes, mission assignment, progress reports, common errors, CSV export, tournaments

## Worlds
- World 1: The Research City — Research problems, Research questions, Objectives, Hypotheses, Variables, Research approaches
- World 2: The Knowledge Kingdom — Literature reviews, Research gaps, Theories, Conceptual frameworks, Academic databases, Referencing, Synthesis
- World 3: The Experimental Zone — Research designs, Experiments, Sampling, Sample size, Questionnaires, Scales, Validity, Ethics
- World 4: The Statistical Universe — t-tests, ANOVA, Reliability, Correlation, Regression, Multicollinearity, Chi-square
- World 5: The Publication Arena — Paper structure, Abstracts, Peer review, Reviewer responses, Publication ethics, Journal selection
- World 6: The Research Legends — Full research cycle, Integrated analysis, Reporting

## Missions
- The Disappearing Customers (Cusco, Peru, Easy): A Cusco coffee roaster is losing repeat customers. The owner blames prices. The data may disagree.
- The Failed Product Launch (Osaka, Japan, Easy): A bottled matcha drink flopped in Osaka. To find out why, you must first name the variables.
- The Mystery of Employee Turnover (Toronto, Canada, Medium): One in five engineers left Northlight last year. The CEO wants to raise salaries. Is money really the answer?
- The Missing Research Gap (Lagos, Nigeria, Medium): A PhD proposal claims a gap that does not exist. Find the real one before the review panel does.
- The Theory Connection (Berlin, Germany, Medium): People download the e-bike app, ride once and vanish. Which theory explains it?
- The Conceptual Framework Challenge (Pune, India, Medium): A grocery-app study has a framework with arrows everywhere. Untangle it, and fix the reference list too.
- The Sampling Crisis (Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye, Medium): A hotel group surveyed 40 guests from one balloon tour and wants to redesign everything. Rescue the sample.
- The Questionnaire Disaster (Accra, Ghana, Medium): A bank survey full of leading, double-barrelled and confusing questions. Repair it before launch.
- The Experimental Design Challenge (Hanoi, Vietnam, Hard): An edtech start-up claims its new feature boosts exam scores by 30%. Design a study that could actually show it.
- The P-value Phantom (Lisbon, Portugal, Hard): Delivery customers seem less happy. The Data Phantom says p-values prove anything. Test it properly.
- The Reliability Dragon (Copenhagen, Denmark, Hard): A five-item “green trust” scale is breathing fire on the results. Find the item that does not belong.
- The Regression Mystery (Seoul, South Korea, Hard): Influencers or attitudes? A skincare start-up must decide where to spend its marketing budget.
- The Reviewer from Hell (Kraków, Poland, Hard): Twenty-three reviewer comments, one angry author and 60 days. Turn “major revisions” into “accept”.
- The Plagiarism Trap (Dublin, Ireland, Hard): A similarity report flagged 34%. Is it plagiarism, sloppy paraphrasing, or something worse?
- The Publication Challenge (Cairo, Egypt, Hard): A strong paper, a tight deadline and an inbox full of journal invitations. Choose wisely.
- The Legend Case: Nairobi’s Digital Market (Nairobi, Kenya, Expert): The full research cycle in one case: problem, literature, design, data, analysis, interpretation and report.

## Statistical tools used (FreeStatisticalTools.com)
- Descriptive Statistics Calculator: https://freestatisticaltools.com/descriptive-statistics-calculator/
- Correlation Coefficient Calculator: https://freestatisticaltools.com/correlation-calculator/
- Survey Sample Size Calculator: https://freestatisticaltools.com/survey-sample-size-calculator/
- Independent Samples T-Test Calculator: https://freestatisticaltools.com/independent-t-test-calculator/
- Cronbach’s Alpha Calculator: https://freestatisticaltools.com/cronbachs-alpha-calculator/
- Multiple Linear Regression Calculator: https://freestatisticaltools.com/multiple-regression-calculator/

## Cite
Xavier, B. (2026). Research Quest: The science of solving mysteries [Educational web game]. FreeStatisticalTools.com. https://freestatisticaltools.com/research-quest/