Teaching Software Testing Concepts Using a Mutation Testing Game

Software testing is a core aspect of software development, but testing programs systematically is not always a core aspect of software engineering education. As a result, software developers often treat testing as a liability, and overall software quality suffers. One of the reasons for this is that standard testing techniques are often perceived as boring and difficult when compared to creative programming and design activities, which dominate education. To make software testing education more enjoyable, we recently introduced the Code Defenders game, in which players engage with testing activities in a fun and competitive way. In this short paper, we explore the idea of using Code Defenders to systematically teach software testing concepts. We present a mapping of core developer testing concepts, such as statement or branch coverage, to categories of puzzles in the framework of the game. As players progress through levels of this game, they incrementally learn and practice testing concepts. By presenting software testing as an enjoyable activity, we hope that learners will not only acquire better testing skills, but will in the long term become better software engineers.