Engaging Developers in Exploratory Unit Testing through Gamification

Abstract: Exploratory testing, known for its flexibility and ability to uncover unexpected issues, often faces challenges in maintaining systematic coverage and producing reproducible results. To address these challenges, we investigate whether gamification of testing directly in the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) can guide exploratory testing. We therefore show challenges and quests generated by the Gamekins gamification system to make testing more engaging and seamlessly blend it with regular coding tasks. In a 60-minute experiment, we evaluated Gamekins' impact on test suite quality and bug detection. The results show that participants actively interacted with the tool, achieving nearly 90% line coverage and detecting 11 out of 14 bugs. Additionally, participants reported enjoying the experience, indicating that gamification can enhance developer participation in testing and improve software quality.