Uncharted dimensions, gaps, and future trends of serious games in software engineering

IF 4.1 2区 计算机科学 Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, HARDWARE & ARCHITECTURE
Manal Kharbouch , Aurora Vizcaino , José Alberto García-Berná , Félix García , Ambrosio Toval , Oscar Pedreira , Ali Idri , José Luis Fernández-Alemán
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Serious Games (SG) are a rising trend in Software Engineering (SE) education, for this reason, and since this topic is still immature and further research was encouraged, it is important to investigate how SGs are integrated into SE education. In this line, this study explores the landscape of SGs in SE) education, focusing on their categorization according to their addressed SWEBOK areas and Bloom's levels, extracted their key elements, mechanics and dynamics, exploring in depth their most portrayed player profiles, finding what makes them successful SGs in this field, and last addressing their resulting challenges in the realm of SE education.

Methodology

A systematic search was conducted across prominent databases: Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, ACM, Scopus, and Wiley. Initially, 125 papers met our initial inclusion criteria, from which 46 remained after rigorous full-text review. Utilizing snowball sampling, we added 28 additional studies, resulting in a total of 74 selected papers for comprehensive analysis.

Results

Among the selected papers, which spanned from the early 2000s to May 2021, a notable increase in publications on SGs in SE was observed, particularly since 2010. The majority of these studies focused on validation research (60 %), followed by solution proposals (17.56 %) and evaluation research (13.51 %). Publication channels predominantly included conferences (79.73 %), underscoring the emerging nature of SGs in SE research, with a smaller proportion appearing in journal articles (20.27 %). Specific focus areas within SE, such as Software Engineering Management (33.78 %) and SE Professional Practice (13.51 %), received significant attention, while others, like SE Models and Methods, showed minimal representation. Furthermore, SGs were found to effectively target higher-order cognitive skills based on Bloom's Taxonomy, with notable implementations of game dynamics such as Teams and Realism to enhance learning experiences. Despite these advancements, there remains a predominant focus on player profiles like Achievers (48.64 %) and Players (47.30 %), suggesting potential gaps in addressing a broader spectrum of learner types within SGs designed for SE education.

Conclusion

This study underscores the evolving role of SGs in SE education, emphasizing the need for diverse approaches to enhance engagement and educational outcomes. Future research should focus on optimizing SG potential across educational and industrial settings by expanding publication visibility, integrating artificial intelligence (AI), and conducting comprehensive evaluations of SGs tailored to SE contexts.

软件工程中的严肃游戏的未知层面、差距和未来趋势
目的严肃游戏(SG)是软件工程(SE)教育中的一种新兴趋势,因此,由于这一课题尚不成熟,鼓励进一步研究,因此研究如何将严肃游戏融入SE教育是非常重要的。因此,本研究探讨了软件工程(SE)教育中的软件即服务(SGs)的情况,重点是根据其所涉及的 SWEBOK 领域和布卢姆等级对其进行分类,提取其关键要素、机制和动态,深入探讨其最典型的参与者情况,找出使其在这一领域取得成功的软件即服务的原因,最后探讨其在软件工程教育领域所面临的挑战:在以下著名数据库中进行了系统搜索:Science Direct、IEEE Xplore、ACM、Scopus 和 Wiley。最初有 125 篇论文符合我们的初步纳入标准,经过严格的全文审阅后,剩下 46 篇。结果从 2000 年代初到 2021 年 5 月,在所选论文中,我们观察到有关 SE 中秘书长的论文明显增加,尤其是自 2010 年以来。这些研究大多侧重于验证研究(60%),其次是解决方案建议(17.56%)和评估研究(13.51%)。发表渠道主要包括会议(79.73%),这凸显了秘书长在社会经济研究中的新兴性质,而发表在期刊论文中的比例较小(20.27%)。社会科学研究中的特定重点领域,如软件工程管理(33.78 %)和社会科学专业实践(13.51 %),受到了极大关注,而其他领域,如社会科学模型和方法,所占比例很小。此外,研究还发现,基于布鲁姆分类法的 SG 能够有效地针对高阶认知技能,并通过显著实施团队和现实主义等游戏动态来增强学习体验。尽管取得了这些进步,但仍主要集中在 "成就者"(48.64%)和 "玩家"(47.30%)等玩家类型上,这表明在为 SE 教育而设计的 SG 中,在处理更广泛的学习者类型方面存在潜在差距。未来的研究应侧重于通过扩大出版物的知名度、整合人工智能(AI)以及对适合 SE 环境的 SG 进行全面评估,来优化 SG 在教育和工业环境中的潜力。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Computer Standards & Interfaces
Computer Standards & Interfaces 工程技术-计算机:软件工程
CiteScore
11.90
自引率
16.00%
发文量
67
审稿时长
6 months
期刊介绍: The quality of software, well-defined interfaces (hardware and software), the process of digitalisation, and accepted standards in these fields are essential for building and exploiting complex computing, communication, multimedia and measuring systems. Standards can simplify the design and construction of individual hardware and software components and help to ensure satisfactory interworking. Computer Standards & Interfaces is an international journal dealing specifically with these topics. The journal • Provides information about activities and progress on the definition of computer standards, software quality, interfaces and methods, at national, European and international levels • Publishes critical comments on standards and standards activities • Disseminates user''s experiences and case studies in the application and exploitation of established or emerging standards, interfaces and methods • Offers a forum for discussion on actual projects, standards, interfaces and methods by recognised experts • Stimulates relevant research by providing a specialised refereed medium.
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