This article presents an innovative educational activity based on the Soybean Expression Atlas (SEA). The current SEA version comprises over 5,000 publicly available RNA-seq samples from various soybean tissues, such as leaves, flowers, and seeds, providing detailed gene expression profiles for scientific and educational purposes. This powerful resource inspired us to develop a card game named “Detective Challenge”, designed to introduce high school students to gene expression principles using soybean as a model organism. The Detective Challenge bridges theoretical concepts with practical applications through a gamification approach. In the Detective Challenge, participants take on the role of “gene detectives”, tasked with investigating the function of specific soybean genes by analyzing their expression patterns in SEA. By engaging with this real-world dataset, participants learn to formulate hypotheses about gene functions, expression patterns (such as tissue specificity), and key metrics, like TPM values. The activity fosters scientific curiosity, promotes active learning, and provides a hands-on introduction to molecular biology and genetics concepts. It also highlights the application of bioinformatics in educational settings, allowing students to work with computational tools and data analysis techniques commonly used in modern scientific research, which addresses a gap in educational tools. Ultimately, the goal is to popularize basic gene expression concepts in the classroom, encouraging students to engage with real scientific data and develop critical thinking skills.