Sojourner under Sabotage: A Serious Testing and Debugging Game

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Straubinger, Philipp, Greller, Tim, Fraser, Gordon
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Straubinger, Philipp
Greller, Tim
Fraser, Gordon
author_facet Straubinger, Philipp
Greller, Tim
Fraser, Gordon
contents Teaching software testing and debugging is a critical yet challenging task in computer science education, often hindered by low student engagement and the perceived monotony of these activities. Sojourner under Sabotage, a browser-based serious game, reimagines this learning experience by blending education with an immersive and interactive storyline. Players take on the role of a spaceship crew member, using unit testing and debugging techniques to identify and repair sabotaged components across seven progressively challenging levels. A study with 79 students demonstrates that the game is a powerful tool for enhancing motivation, engagement, and skill development. These findings underscore the transformative potential of serious games in making essential software engineering practices accessible and enjoyable.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_19287
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sojourner under Sabotage: A Serious Testing and Debugging Game
Straubinger, Philipp
Greller, Tim
Fraser, Gordon
Software Engineering
Teaching software testing and debugging is a critical yet challenging task in computer science education, often hindered by low student engagement and the perceived monotony of these activities. Sojourner under Sabotage, a browser-based serious game, reimagines this learning experience by blending education with an immersive and interactive storyline. Players take on the role of a spaceship crew member, using unit testing and debugging techniques to identify and repair sabotaged components across seven progressively challenging levels. A study with 79 students demonstrates that the game is a powerful tool for enhancing motivation, engagement, and skill development. These findings underscore the transformative potential of serious games in making essential software engineering practices accessible and enjoyable.
title Sojourner under Sabotage: A Serious Testing and Debugging Game
topic Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.19287