Abstract

Software refactoring is an essential skill for developers. It improves the quality of the software and reduces maintenance costs in the long run. In this paper, we investigate the impact that gamification can have on the refactoring process and on the usability of the existing refactoring tools. For this reason we created CodeArena, a gamification system that tracks and rewards refactorings during development. We used CodeArena in an exploratory study which involved 12 students of computer science. Then, we collected the feedback provided by these students via a survey. Although the gamification had less effect than expected, our findings can be useful to practitioners interested in promoting refactoring tools via gamification.

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