Third, the process of the game models the hypothetico- deductive picture of science described by, among others, Karl Popper. At some point in the term I make this explicit, in the hope that familiarity with the games will add to the understanding of scientific method which I wish to convey. In the games, players test their hypothetical explanations by thinking of a logical consequence of an hypothesis they have in mind, and asking if it's true. This analogy raises the possibility of modelling scientific reasoning in a parallel sort of game, in which both scenario and explanation are part of the course content. Experimental questions ask what would be the result of a certain experiment, manipulation or observation.
Hypothetical questions are attempts to guess the answer.
I have not used games of this form myself, since I do not teach in the requisite scientific context, but I have heard of games like this being developed as enhancements of one called Rulemaker. Rulemaker is a mathematical game in which participants try to formulate a rule which explains some sequence of numbers, shapes, playing cards or whatever. I have a list of thirteen explanation games of the general type which I'd be willing to share with anyone interested. I'd also like to hear of anyone using the scientific versions or games like them.