Engagement and Perceived Applicability: Game Dev Story in Software Engineering

Abstract

Purpose: Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games remain underexplored in software engineering education. This exploratory field study examines the COTS simulation game Game Dev Story, focusing on motivation and involvement (RQ1); perceived learning, perceived applicability, and expression in software engineering terms (RQ2); and perceived conditions for effectiveness (RQ3). Methodology: A mixed-methods design combined a 195-minute game session with minimal curricular integration, questionnaires (N = 20), open-ended learning-outcome statements, and a moderated plenary discussion with the full cohort (N = 26). Findings: Motivation and involvement were rated very highly, while perceived learning and perceived applicability were positive but lower. Only a minority of written learning outcomes were expressed in explicit software engineering terms. When prompted about course connections, participants called for stronger links to course concepts despite instructor-provided mappings and described reflection phases as too short. Originality: The study documents an authentic classroom intervention using a COTS game in software engineering education, in which positive perceived applicability coexisted with limited explicit disciplinary framing of reported learning despite instructor-provided mappings. Impact: The findings raise the question of why high engagement and thematic relevance do not necessarily lead students to express their learning in disciplinary terms, even when explicit mappings are provided