Data Hunters is an interactive, team-based card game designed for 8-40 participants, immersing players in real-world data management dilemmas. Participants take on roles such as Researcher, Data Steward, Ethics Expert, or Privacy Advisor, collaborating to tackle ethical dilemmas, legal challenges, and data management risks. The game is inspired by real research scenarios, like managing data for a living lab in Kathmandu, addressing issues like incomplete consent forms, data breaches, and cultural complexities.

Teams face unpredictable twists in the form of Danger Cards, which introduce sudden complications and force players to adapt their strategies under pressure, testing both critical thinking and teamwork.

In addition to being a fast-paced 55-minute game, Data Hunters is a versatile tool for brainstorming, icebreaking, community-building, and training. It is used in the "Personal Data and Human Subjects in Research" course at TU Delft to engage PhD students in data ethics and research challenges. Data Hunters has also been presented at the RDA conference in Costa Rica and is now used by multiple institutes globally.

This innovative tool sharpens problem-solving abilities, enhances understanding of data ethics, and prepares players to handle real-world data management complexities while fostering effective collaboration.