Serious Games for Software Refactoring

Software design issues can severely impede software development and maintenance. Thus, it is important for the success of software projects that developers are aware of bad smells in code artifacts and improve their skills to reduce these issues via refactoring. However, software refactoring is a complex activity and involves multiple tasks and aspects. Therefore, imparting competences for identifying bad smells and refactoring code efficiently is challenging for software engineering education and training. The approaches proposed for teaching software refactoring in recent years mostly concentrate on small and artificial tasks and fall short in terms of higher level competences, such as analysis and evaluation. In this paper, we investigate the possibilities and challenges of designing serious games for software refactoring on real-world code artifacts. In particular, we propose a game design, where students can compete either against a predefined benchmark (technical debt) or against each other. In addition, we describe a lightweight architecture as the technical foundation for the game design that integrates pre-existing analysis tools such as test frameworks and software-quality analyzers. Finally, we provide an exemplary game scenario to illustrate the application of serious games in a learning setting

Serious Refactoring Games

Software design issues can severely impede software development and maintenance. Thus, it is important for the success of software projects that developers are aware of bad smells in code artifacts and improve their skills to reduce these issues via refactoring. However, software refactoring is a complex activity and involves multiple tasks and aspects. Therefore, imparting competences for identifying bad smells and refactoring code efficiently is challenging for software engineering education and training. The approaches proposed for teaching software refactoring in recent years mostly concentrate on small and artificial tasks and fall short in terms of higher level competences, such as analysis and evaluation. In this paper, we investigate the possibilities and challenges of designing serious games for software refactoring on real-world code artifacts. In particular, we propose a game design, where students can compete either against a predefined benchmark (technical debt) or against each other. In addition, we describe a lightweight architecture as the technical foundation for the game design that integrates pre-existing analysis tools such as test frameworks and software-quality analyzers. Finally, we provide an exemplary game scenario to illustrate the application of serious games in a learning setting

Tools for adaptive governance for complex social-ecological systems: A review of role-playing-games as serious games at the community-policy interface

The management of natural resources—from forests to fisheries to freshwater—is becoming increasingly complex and requires new tools and processes for engaging with individuals, communities, and decision-makers. Policy makers and practitioners have begun using serious games (SGs) (those used for purposes other than entertainment) to overcome some of the complex challenges of governing resources in social-ecological systems. This paper uses a systematic literature review methodology to assess role-playing SGs for natural resource management. Fifty-two articles from the role-playing game (RPG) subset of SGs are identified, synthesised and analysed using a multi-criteria evaluation framework. First, we explore three theoretical and conceptual elements of games: principles of RPGs, functions of games, and (practical) game characteristics. We evaluate game elements, including game design, adherence to reality and the degree to which games integrate elements of participatory—and action research. These dimensions of RPGs are then analysed and discussed. Particular attention is paid to the value and application of RPGs to address complex problems with interacting environmental, social, cultural and economic challenges, and the extent to which they can inform adaptive governance solutions. Results show that RPGs can be a valuable tool at different levels; however, we also identify important gaps in the current state of knowledge, in particular, related to bridging community—and higher-level decision-making scales through RPGs

A Serious Game Approach in Anti-Doping Education: the Game Project

Anti-doping education has largely relied on traditional educational approaches such as face-to-face interaction and e-learning material. Current challenges in anti-doping education involve a) the development of modern educational tools suitable for the new generation of athletes, b) the use of state-of- art learning pedagogies that will enable effective engagement, learning and retention of the learned material, c) a systematic evaluation of the outcomes of anti-doping educational interventions on behavior and related cognition, and d) a positive approach to doping prevention. Project GAME aims to address these needs through the development of a serious game that will incorporate current empirical evidence on the psychological mechanisms underpinning the decision making process towards doping use in competitive and recreational sports. The aim of the present study is to highlight the importance of anti-doping education, conduct a state of the art literature review on serious games' design, present the prototype of a scenario that will be included in a serious game for anti-doping education, and discuss the project's activities related to the use of technologies in anti-doping education. +++++++++++++ Anti-doping education has largely relied on traditional educational aproaches such as face-to-face interaction and e-learning material. Current chalenges in anti-doping education involve a) the development of modern educational tools suitable for the new generation of athletes, b) the use of state-of- art learning pedagogies that will enable effective engagement, learning and retention of the learned material, c) a systematic evaluation of the outcomes of anti-doping educational interventions on behavior and related cognition, and d) a positive approach to doping prevention. Project GAME aims to address these needs through the development of a serious game that will incorporate current empirical evidence on the psychological mechanisms underpinning the decision making process towards doping use in competitive and recreational sports. The aim of the present study is to highlight the importance of anti-doping education, conduct a state of the art literature review on serious games' design, present the prototype of a scenario that will be included in a serious game for anti-doping education, and discuss the project's activities related to the use of technologies in anti-doping educatio

Collaborative Game-based Learning - Automatized Adaptation Mechanics for Game-based Collaborative Learning using Game Mastering Concepts

Learning and playing represent two core aspects of the information and communication society nowadays. Both issues are subsumed in Digital Education Games, one major field of Serious Games. Serious Games combine concepts of gaming with a broad range of application fields: among others, educational sectors and training or health and sports, but also marketing, advertisement, political education, and other societally relevant areas such as climate, energy, and safety. This work focuses on collaborative learning games, which are Digital Educational Games that combine concepts from collaborative learning with game concepts and technology. Although Digital Educational Games represent a promising addition to existing learning and teaching methods, there are different challenges opposing their application. The tension between a game that is supposed to be fun and the facilitation of serious content constitutes a central challenge to game design. The often high technical complexity and especially the instructors' lack of control over the game represent further challenges. Beyond that, the distinct heterogeneity of learners who often have different play styles, states of knowledge, learning speed, and soft skills, such as teamwork or communication skills, forms a pivotal problem. Apart from that, the vital role of the instructor needs to be taken into account. Within the scope of this dissertation, the problems mentioned above are analyzed, concepts to solve them introduced, and methods developed to address them. The first major contribution contains the conceptualization of a framework for adaptation of collaborative multiplayer games as well as for the control of those games at run-time through an instructor using the Game Master principle. The core concept hereby addresses the design of a model to represent heterogeneous groups and to represent collaborative Serious Games. Based on that, a novel concept for adaptation of collaborative multiplayer games is developed, implemented, and evaluated. Automatic recognition and interpretation of game situations, as well as determination of the most well suited adaptation based on the recognized situations, is a major challenge here. Further, a concept is developed to integrate an instructor in a meaningful way into the course of the game, giving him/her the necessary resources to recognize problems and to intervene and adapt the game at run-time. Therefore, it will be taken into account that the elaborated concepts are applicable in a generic way independent of the underlying game. The second major contribution of this work is the conceptualization and design of a simulation of players and learners in a collaborative multiplayer game that behave realistically based on a player, learner, and interaction model. This is supposed to enable an evaluation of the adaptation and Game Mastering concepts using freely configurable player and learner types. The concepts introduced and developed within this thesis have been thoroughly evaluated using a twofold approach. As a test environment, a collaborative multiplayer Serious Game was designed and implemented. Within that simulation environment, the developed Game Mastering and adaptation concepts were assessed and tested with large sets of virtual learners. Additionally, the concepts were evaluated with real users. Therefore, two different evaluation studies with a total of 60 participants were conducted. The results of the conducted evaluations help to broaden the areas of application of Serious Games as well as to improve their applicability, hence raising acceptance among instructors. The models, architectures, and software solutions developed within this thesis thus build a foundation for further research of multiplayer Serious Games

Heuristic Evaluation for Serious Immersive Games and M-instruction

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. Two fast growing areas for technology-enhanced learning are serious games and mobile instruction (M-instruction or M-Learning). Serious games are ones that are meant to be more than just entertainment. They have a serious use to educate or promote other types of activity. Immersive Games frequently involve many players interacting in a shared rich and complex-perhaps web-based-mixed reality world, where their circumstances will be multi and varied. Their reality may be augmented and often self-composed, as in a user-defined avatar in a virtual world. M-instruction and M-Learning is learning on the move; much of modern computer use is via smart devices, pads, and laptops. People use these devices all over the place and thus it is a natural extension to want to use these devices where they are to learn. This presents a problem if we wish to evaluate the effectiveness of the pedagogic media they are using. We have no way of knowing their situation, circumstance, education background and motivation, or potentially of the customisation of the final software they are using. Getting to the end user itself may also be problematic; these are learning environments that people will dip into at opportune moments. If access to the end user is hard because of location and user self-personalisation, then one solution is to look at the software before it goes out. Heuristic Evaluation allows us to get User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) experts to reflect on the software before it is deployed. The effective use of heuristic evaluation with pedagogical software [1] is extended here, with existing Heuristics Evaluation Methods that make the technique applicable to Serious Immersive Games and mobile instruction (M-instruction). We also consider how existing Heuristic Methods may be adopted. The result represents a new way of making this methodology applicable to this new developing area of learning technology

Understanding Engagement within the Context of a Safety Critical Game

One of the most frequent arguments for deploying serious games is that they provide an engaging format for student learning. However, engagement is often equated with enjoyment, which may not be the most relevant conceptualization in safety-critical settings, such as law enforcement and healthcare. In these contexts, the term ‘serious’ does not only relate to the non-entertainment purpose of the game but also the environment simulated by the game. In addition, a lack of engagement in a safety critical training setting can have serious ethical implications, leading to significant real-world impacts. However, evaluations of safety-critical games (SCGs) rarely provide an in-depth consideration of player experience. Thus, in relation to simulation game-based training, we are left without a clear understanding of what sort of experience players are having, what factors influence their engagement and how their engagement relates to learning. In order to address these issues, this paper reports on the mixed-method evaluation of a SCG that was developed to support police training. The findings indicate that engagement is supported by the experience situational relevance, due to the player’s experience of real-world authenticity, targeted feedback mechanisms and learning challenges

Company-university collaboration in applying gamification to learning about insurance

Incorporating gamification into training–learning at universities is hampered by a shortage of quality, adapted educational video games. Large companies are leading in the creation of educational video games for their internal training or to enhance their public image and universities can benefit from collaborating. The aim of this research is to evaluate, both objectively and subjectively, the potential of the simulation game BugaMAP (developed by the MAPFRE Foundation) for university teaching about insurance. To this end, we have assessed both the game itself and the experience of using the game as perceived by 142 economics students from various degree plans and courses at the University of Seville during the 2017–2018 academic year. As a methodology, a checklist of gamification components is used for the objective evaluation, and an opinion questionnaire on the game experience is used for the subjective evaluation. Among the results several findings stand out. One is the high satisfaction of the students with the knowledge acquired using fun and social interaction. Another is that the role of the university professors and the company monitors turns out to be very active and necessary during the game-learning sessions. Finally, in addition to the benefits to the university of occasionally available quality games to accelerate student skills training, the company–university collaboration serves as a trial and refinement of innovative tools for game-based learning