Grupo Alarcos · Conference paper · 2016

A Serious Game to Improve Students' Skills in Global Software Development

David Valencia, Aurora Vizcaíno Barceló, Juan Pablo Soto Barrera, Mario Piattini Velthuis

CSEDU (1) · 2016 · 1 citations (OpenAlex)

In recent years, companies have been forced to change their business model, due to the phenomenon of globalization. Software development companies are no exception, and have attempted to join the global market so as to be able to hire labor in other countries, seeking to reduce costs, increase productivity and gain competitive advantages. This is known as Global Software Development (GSD). To perform this practice, companies require developers who possess knowledge and skills for solving problems that arise due to geographical, temporal and cultural distance. Traditional methods for teaching students or employees how to work in GSD environments are usually expensive, and require much effort. This is where serious games can play a key role, as they are educational games that allow for the acquisition of knowledge and skills at a low cost. This article presents a serious game with which some of the competencies needed in GSD can be acquired. The game simulates scenarios that usually occur in the overall development of a software project, so that the user can become aware of the problems concerning GSD and gain some experience in solving these problems.