Gaining an in-depth understanding of the structure of software systems can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and unappealing. Since people play a key role in software development, human factors, such as motivation, must be considered when designing software development tools. We investigated this concept by using “gamification” for software visualization. We developed a gamified visualization tool for object-oriented software architectures, added gamification elements using a user-centered design approach, and evaluated it based on qualitative feedback from software developers. Our results suggest that gamification meaningfully enhances software understanding via visualization. However, further design iterations are needed to improve gamified visualization, as well as a quantitative study to evaluate it.

Software understanding is a critical activity for a wide range of stakeholders in software development. However, existing software visualization tools often lack an iterative user-centered design approach, resulting in solutions that do not fully meet the specific needs of target audiences. We describe a design iteration of the software visualization tool IslandViz targeted at professional software developers. We implemented a revised version of IslandViz based on insights from previous user evaluations and evaluated this version by conducting contextual interviews with experts who perform their regular coding tasks in their own software systems with and without IslandViz. From their qualitative feedback, we identified and implemented two key requirements for coding productivity, including performance improvements and a desktop-based presentation. We describe the resulting prototype and discuss lessons learned and future work.

The architecture and inner structure of software is often only implicitly available in the form of its source code and thus not tangible and intuitively easy to understand for non-programmers and laymen. Our goal is to create visualizations as automatically as possible, with which such people can neverthe-less understand the software or parts of the software and get a feel for the structure of the software and how its methods work. Especially for newcomers to software projects, for management or even for students and pupils, it can be helpful to get a non-technical insight into the software. We use the concept of visualizing information as comics to present aspects of the software as strikingly as possible, as comics are an effective way to present complex systems and interrelationships for certain target groups. For this purpose, we present a method to generate comics from source code. Our semi-automated process is based on generating a prompt for an LLM from source code, which in turn generates a prompt for a comic image generation using the text-to-image model Stable Diffusion. We show that generative AI methods can be used to rapidly generate human-compatible artistic representations from source code. However, further research is needed to validate the understandability of the results.

C# is the most widely used programming language among XR developers. However, only a limited number of graph-based data acquisition tools exist for C# software. XR development commonly relies on reusing existing software components to accelerate development. Graph-based visualization tools can facilitate this comprehension process, e.g., by providing an overview of relationships between components. This work describes a new tool called Src2Neo that generates labeled property graphs of C#-based software projects. The stored graph follows a simple C# naming scheme and — contrary to other solutions — maps each software entity to exactly one node. The resulting graph facilitates the comprehension process by providing an easy to read representation of software components. Additionally, the generated graphs can act as a data basis for more advanced software visualizations without the need for complex data requests.

Stereotypes support a high-level software comprehension by implying roles and responsibilities of classes in software systems. We propose the idea of using stereotypes as design patterns for serious games to enhance object oriented software comprehension. These design patterns can reduce the complexity of software systems and encode software knowledge into game mechanics. We provide examples of possible game mechanics and discuss the application of the proposed design patterns.

Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly being explored as an alternative medium for gambling games to attract players. Typically, gambling games try to impair a player's decision making, usually for the disadvantage of the players' financial outcome. An impaired decision making results in the inability to differentiate between advantageous and disadvantageous options. We investigated if and how immersion impacts decision making using a VR-based realization of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to pinpoint potential risks and effects of gambling in VR. During the IGT, subjects are challenged to draw cards from four different decks of which two are advantageous. The selections made serve as a measure of a participant's decision making during the task. In a novel user study, we compared the effects of immersion on decision making between a low-immersive desktop-3D-based IGT realization and a high immersive VR version. Our results revealed significantly more disadvantageous decisions when playing the immersive VR version. This indicates an impairing effect of immersion on simulated real life decision making and provides empirical evidence for a high risk potential of gambling games targeting immersive VR.

Affine Transformations (ATs) often escape an intuitive approach due to their high complexity. Therefore, we developed GEtiT that directly encodes ATs in its game mechanics and scales the knowledge's level of abstraction. This results in an intuitive application as well as audiovisual presentation of ATs and hence in a knowledge learning. We also developed a specific Virtual Reality (VR) version to explore the effects of immersive VR on the learning outcomes. This paper presents our approach of directly encoding abstract knowledge in game mechanics, the conceptual design of GEtiT and its technical implementation. Both versions are compared in regard to their usability in a user study. The results show that both GEtiT versions induce a high degree of flow and elicit a good intuitive use. They validate the effectiveness of the design and the resulting knowledge application requirements. Participants favored GEtiT VR thus showing a potentially higher learning quality when using VR.

Slot machines are one of the most played games by pathological gamblers. New technologies, e.g. immersive Virtual Reality (VR), offer more possibilities to exploit erroneous beliefs in the context of gambling. However, the risk potential of VR-based gambling has not been researched, yet. A higher immersion might increase harmful aspects, thus making VR realizations more dangerous. Measuring harm-inducing factors reveals the risk potential of virtual gambling. In a user study, we analyze a slot machine realized as a desktop 3D and as an immersive VR version. Both versions are compared in respect to effects on dissociation, urge to gamble, dark flow, and illusion of control. Our study shows significantly higher values of dissociation, dark flow, and urge to gamble in the VR version. Presence significantly correlates with all measured harm-inducing factors. We demonstrate that VR-based gambling has a higher risk potential. This creates the importance of regulating VR-based gambling.