Logic-Driven Learning: An Interactive Video Game to Foster Software Engineering

Most novice programmers are usually prepared to have extensive knowledge in a particular programming language, overlooking the fundamentals, logic and good software quality practices. This is a very common situation among first-years university students and it is one of the main causes of desertion. On this regard, the use of video games for cognitive skill development that has proven to be an efficient tool, could be an alternative. This article presents the design and development of an interactive online video game, where programmers can test their logic and programming knowledge using questions, puzzles, and logical algorithms that are typically implemented by major companies in their job interviews. With the use of this platform, we expect to help reducing the students' desertion rate, emphasizing the importance of logic in programming and encouraging the use of good software engineering practices.