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Is that real? Real or made? Call it, then back it with one clue.

A photo, a voice message or a video lands in front of you. Real, or made with AI? 12 Cases described in words (no real deepfakes, no real faces), each with clues about where it came from and how it looks. Call it, back your call with one clue out loud, or call CHECK FIRST. The Check cards show what the deck proves: looks fool you, so ask who posted it and check it somewhere else.

2–8 players · ~8–16 + teachers · ~25 min · screen-free

What this teaches

Print tonight

Case and Check cards on Avery 5388 at Actual Size / 100% (never Fit to page); tear on the perforation. Practice Mat on plain paper, one per player or team. You also need two coins (or erasers) per player.

How to play

Someone shows you a photo, a voice message or a video. Is it real, or made with AI? Every Case card describes one in words and gives two or three clues. Call it REAL or MADE and back your call with one clue out loud, or call CHECK FIRST. The Check card says what checking somewhere else found. Most points after all 12 Cases wins.

  1. Quick start — read this, start playing

    • Everyone gets a Practice Mat and two coins. Shuffle the Case cards face-down. Keep the Check cards in a face-down pile, in number order.
    • The Reader flips a Case card and reads it aloud: what you see or hear, and its clues.
    • In secret, put one coin on REAL, MADE or CHECK FIRST, and one coin on the clue you trust. Count 3-2-1 and lift your hands.
    • Go round: say your call and your clue in one sentence. "MADE, because the Source is an account that posts a new animal every hour."
    • The Reader reads the matching Check card. Score, then pass the Reader job left.
    • That's the whole game. Everything below is for when a question comes up.

  2. Setup

    • Each player or team takes a Practice Mat and two coins. One coin is your call, the other is your clue.
    • Shuffle the 12 Case cards (C-) face-down. Sort the 12 Check cards (K-) by number and keep them face-down.
    • The youngest player is the first Reader. The Reader plays too.

  3. Each Case

    • The Reader flips the top Case card and reads it all aloud, clue names too.
    • Everyone decides in secret. Call coin on REAL, MADE or CHECK FIRST. Clue coin on one of the clues printed on this card.
    • Count 3-2-1 and show. Going round the table, say your call and your clue in one sentence. No sentence, no clue point.
    • The Reader finds the Check card with the same number and reads it aloud.

  4. Scoring

    • Right call (REAL or MADE): 1 point. Your clue is on the Check card's Held up list: 1 more.
    • Wrong call: 0. Fooled is fine. Say which clue fooled you, out loud.
    • CHECK FIRST: 1 point on any card, 2 on a HIGH STAKES card (money, safety, or someone's reputation). No clue needed.
    • Play all 12 Cases. Most points wins. Ties share the win.

  5. Tips

    • Trust where it came from over how it looks. In this deck, Source and Context clues held up 13 of 14 times. Artifacts and Too perfect held up only 6 of 13.
    • Play every Case going by looks and you score 10. Never guess, CHECK FIRST every time: 15. Go by where it came from: 22.
    • Real photos can be blurry and weird. Made ones can look perfect. A glitch is a hint, never proof.

  6. What the cards teach

    • AI can make photos, voices and video of things that never happened, and it gets more convincing every year.
    • Looking harder is not enough. Tells like strange hands or out-of-step lips are fading as the tools improve.
    • Ask where it came from: who posted it first, and are they really who they say?
    • Check it somewhere else: a search, a trusted news site, or a call back to a number you already had.
    • When it's about money, safety or a real person's reputation, check first and don't share until you have.

  7. Variants

    • Class teams: each team shares one Mat and one call. Teams must agree on the sentence before 3-2-1.
    • Make a Case: write your own card about something you saw this week. Leave the faces and names out. What would checking find?
    • Quick round: play six Cases. Deal three REAL and three MADE using the Check cards, then shuffle.

Downloads

  • Instruction sheet

    Plain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11

    One 8.5 × 11 page for the table — quick start, setup, turns, and scoring.

    Open Download

  • Full rules

    Plain paper · duplex · 2 pages

    Same game, longer type — plus what the cards teach and the variants.

    Open Download

  • Practice Mat

    Plain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11

    REAL / MADE / CHECK FIRST, the five clues, a sentence frame and a score row. One per player or team.

    Open Download

  • Case + Check cards (Avery 5388)

    Avery 5388 · 8 sheets

    12 Case cards (what you see or hear, plus clues) and 12 Check cards (what checking found).

    Open Download

  • Grown-up guide

    Plain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11

    One page for teachers and parents: why tells are fading, how to run it with a class, talk-about-it questions, and keeping kids safe.

    Open Download

Rules preview

Same rules as above, laid out for the table. Keep a printed copy face-up while you score.

On a phone, open the PDF in a new tab — in-page previews are unreliable in mobile Safari.

Open in new tab Download

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