When you ask data scientists why they chose this career, a lot might say they enjoy solving puzzles (I know I do). For some, it can be stressful, but when one is presented with a challenge, their adrenaline spikes, and a smile creeps onto their face as they anticipate the feeling of achievement that comes with solving the problem. After all, who doesn’t like to win?
Murder mystery parties are on the climb in popularity, and are a life-sized puzzle for people to solve. From my time here at the institute, one thing I have learned about my classmates is that we all love to play games – whether it is sports or a board/card game. So why not add to our busy schedule with a time to get into character and find a suspect among us?
The game we used was purchased from Masters of Mystery, a company that sells multiple themed murder mystery games, with all the necessary components (innocent and guilty scripts, character roles, character descriptions, invitations, etc.) available virtually, resulting in instant access after purchase. The game we played was called From Monte Carlo with Murder, a James Bond-themed set in 1962 at a casino in the beautiful district of Monte Carlo, Monaco. The characters ranged from the casino owner, bankers, known henchmen, and wealthy individuals from all over the world. The secret was that everyone had a secret identity, and everyone was in the room when Spinny Ziwheel, the man running the casino table, was murdered. The evidence was there, but one question remained: who in the room did it?
To bring us back to the present day at the IAA, one of the key areas we focus on is providing feedback during presentations. There are eight areas of expertise that we must consider when presenting our work:
- eye contact
- tone/inflection
- engagement/energy
- facial expression/gestures/movement
- transitions and content
- filler words
- pace
- conclusion.
Then one day, I thought to myself, who is to say that those same categories cannot be just as important in trying to sell that you are not guilty in a mystery-solving game?
After the game, I asked my classmates to reflect on what helped them detect the criminal/guilty subject. The form listed out the eight areas of expertise that we focus on during presentations. I will note that the game did come with a provided script – one version was innocent, and one version was guilty. My classmates did not know which version they should read until we had started the game, when I randomly generated someone to be the guilty character (don’t worry, I did not spoil the game! Everyone received a letter that they were instructed not to share, and that was what was randomly generated). So the key, when it came to the conclusion, was being able to sell it in conjunction with the other areas of expertise.
Out of 12 responses, the top area that helped the players solve the game was transitions and content, followed by tone and inflection, with a third-place tie between engagement/energy and facial expression/gestures/movement.
Transitions and content: a player focused primarily on this area to discern who the murderer might be. By writing down all the evidence from everyone’s script, they were able to identify which characters had a motive and which ones were not giving clear answers.
Tone and inflection: the murderer tried to shift their tone to soften some of the incriminating things that they had to say as part of their script, whereas someone else had shared that they figured the guilty character would sound more defensive. One player pointed out that when another had a lot of inflection as they read the script, it made it seem like they could be guilty. Including all of that, they thought he was passionate and telling the truth about his motive.
Engagement/Energy: The passion my classmates were putting into the game really swayed some people in the wrong direction.
Facial expressions, gestures, and movement: Despite being in a dimly lit room, some were able to identify the grand gestures people made as they got into character. As the host, I really enjoyed seeing my classmates getting really into character and stepping out of their comfort zone…
”Even using these, I had a difficult time identifying who the true villain was because each character was played with so much personality, which made it all the more confusing.”
In the end, one group was able to detect the murderer while the other was not (better luck next time)! However, seeing them utilize the same skills we practice daily in our program in the game really confirms that data is really all around us.
All in all, it was a joy to put this on for my cohort – our days were busy as we began our fall semester when the game took place. The fall semester is known as a time when we are drinking out of a firehose until December (I can attest that a lot of information has been learned and a lot of projects have been started and completed). However, this also highlights the importance of taking our minds off work and spending time together in fun and unique ways. As the hostess, it was great fun to watch my classmates find new personas and laugh with each other in new settings. It is hard to find the balance every day, but when we do, it is always a great reminder that we also need to have some fun in the midst of the intensive coursework.
My first group of players, who unfortunately did not identify the correct murderer, but they did show up and show out in costumes and accents!
My second group of players, who despite the great accent and personal twists, were able to come together to identify the correct murderer among them! And did it in fabulous style!
Columnist: Jessica Martinson