Serious game · B2C · Children
Detective Emo
An emotion game by psychologists. Six detective decks and the Emotion Wheel.
Detective Emo helps children recognise, understand and talk about their feelings through play. It is the digital edition of the printed board game Duygu Dedektifi (Emotion Detective), written by Family Psychologist Gözde Alper and Sinem Çelenk, Clinical Psychologist.
Science inside Emotion recognition & regulation research
- Age
- Ages 3–6 and 7+, with separate content
- Platform
- Android (iOS coming soon)
- Languages
- 12 languages
- Pricing
- Free to start; full edition with one one-time in-app purchase
Screenshots
A closer look
Hey you! Follow the trail of feelings with Emo. 
Detective sign-up: name, age and read-aloud cards. Six detective decks around the Emotion Wheel. 
A Coping Detective card — a badge mission. 
Some cards ask for the Emotion Wheel first. 
Spin the wheel: fourteen emotions for ages 7+. 
A Detective Badge for tasks that ask for more thinking or expression. 
You played great! A short summary at the end of play.
About the product
Detective Emo
The app installs free and part of the content plays with no payment at all. The Emotion Wheel is always open. The full edition unlocks with a single one-time in-app purchase — there is no subscription.
The Emotion Wheel comes in when a card says “Spin the Wheel” or when a child finds it hard to name a feeling: six core emotions for ages 3–6, fourteen for ages 7+. In some tasks the wheel spins on its own; in others the child turns it slowly and brings the feeling they choose under the pointer.
Content for ages 3–6 is written for children who cannot read yet: short questions, plain language. Content for 7+ goes deeper. The two age groups are never mixed — a card from one never appears in the other.
Key features
What’s inside
- 01
Memory Detective
Red deck — the child recalls and tells a real moment.
- 02
Coping Detective
Blue deck — what I do when a feeling arrives, what my body feels.
- 03
Calm-Down Detective
Purple deck — breathing, imagery and relaxation.
- 04
Problem Solving Detective
Yellow deck — a real situation is given, the child finds a way.
- 05
Play Detective
Orange deck — role play, mime, telling a feeling with the body.
- 06
Emotion-Spotting Detective
Green deck — guess, compare, give the feeling a colour and a sound.
Who it is for
- Parents — to get past the one-word answer to “How was your day?”
- Teachers — for emotion work and guidance hours in the classroom.
- Psychologists, educational specialists and play therapists — as a way to open a session and build rapport.
A note for the adult
Don’t push; every child talks at their own pace. Don’t correct the answers. This is not a right-or-wrong game. It is a journey of discovery, not a race.
Safe
No ads. No account, no e-mail, no location, no photos. The player profile, avatar and age group stay on the device and are never sent to a server. Purchases are made only from the parent section.