I Got 15K People to Practice SQL by Turning Them Into Detectives
Description
This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/i-got-15k-people-to-practice-sql-by-turning-them-into-detectives.
See how SQL Case Files became a top choice for anyone searching for free SQL games or challenging SQL puzzles.
Check more stories related to programming at: https://hackernoon.com/c/programming.
You can also check exclusive content about #sql, #learn-sql, #gamifying-sql, #sql-practice, #sql-case-files, #practice-sql, #sql-puzzles, #challenging-sql-puzzles, and more.
This story was written by: @hackstarky. Learn more about this writer by checking @hackstarky's about page,
and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com.
SQL practice is boring because you're querying meaningless data in a vacuum. I built SQL Case Files - a detective game where you solve crimes by writing real SQL queries. Your phone vibrates when you close a case. No badges, no streaks, just investigations that feel physical. 15K monthly users in 4 weeks. This is how I made it work technically: SQLite WASM for local execution, result-set validation instead of SQL text matching, mobile-first UX with sticky schemas and bottom-sheet drawers, and a rate-limited AI assistant (20 calls/day because I'm paying for it). The constraint accidentally made people better at SQL. Free to play, no signup, runs entirely in your browser.
![Clean Code: Concurrency Patterns, Context Management, and Goroutine Safety [Part 5]](https://img.transistorcdn.com/Re6rRPjQZt-ME3gPhrWBaz0o0JGE0EjvmaI0t9r6bpw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81MTU2/ZmQ2MDY5NDAxN2U1/NmUwZDVmMmVkNTk0/MDM0Ni5wbmc.jpg "Clean Code: Concurrency Patterns, Context Management, and Goroutine Safety [Part 5]")
United States
