Special Issue on Gamification and Software Engineering

Information and Software Technology Journal, Elsevier https://www.journals.elsevier.com/information-and-software-technology

Gamification is generally understood as the application of game elements and mechanics in non-gaming contexts aiming to change, or boost, certain behaviors and attitudes. Applications of gamification pervade our lives and encompass crucial fields for society such as education, healthcare, marketing, management and recruitment. Gamification techniques and infrastructure are benefiting from advances in information and communication technology. This includes social computing, smart phone applications and the ability to be embedded in our living and working environments.

The relation between gamification and software engineering is on the rise. Software engineering is an important context that can be subject to gamification. Similarly, gamification development would benefit from rigorous and systematic engineering methods. Hence, the two themes of this special issue of Information and Software Technology focus on this mutually beneficial relationship:

- Gamification for Software Engineering: many activities of software engineering are complex and involve stakeholders who have low incentives and motivation to contribute. How can gamification be employed to foster engagement and performance in software engineering? What do we already know, and what are the open challenges?

- Software Engineering for Gamification: while the number of gamified software systems keeps growing, their engineering process resembles craftsmanship. How can the scientific discipline of software engineering contribute towards a systematic, and effective, development of gamification applications?


The aim of this special issue is to consolidate the relationship between gamification and software engineering, enrich the existing research in the field, and identify key and priority research directions for this emerging field. Submissions including, but not limited to, the following topics are invited:

Gamification for supporting software engineering areas including:

- Efficiency in development platforms
- Empirical software engineering
- HCI Design, including usability
- Maintenance and evolution
- Productivity in development teams
- Requirements engineering
- Security, privacy, transparency and trust
- Teaching software engineering
- Testing, Verification & Validation
- User-centered design and participatory design

Software Engineering for gamification development areas including:

- Blending education and entertainment
- Cognitive aspects, incentivizing motivation
- Development for playability and playfulness
- Development methods for gamification
- Domain-specific gamified software (e.g., education, healthcare, etc.)
- Empirical studies at the intersection between gamification and software engineering
- Engineering ethical gamification
- Engineering for privacy, security, transparency and trust in gamification
- Requirements engineering for gamification
- (Reusable) architectures for gamification
- Social aspects, including the organization of gamified communities and crowds
- Testing and verification of gamification

Important Dates:

- Abstracts (Intention to submit): March 15, 2017 (via email: gamiseist@gmail.com)
- Paper submission: March 31, 2017 (via EVISE, see below)
- Notification to Authors (1st Round): May 31, 2017
- Deadline for the revised paper: July 15, 2017
- Notification to Authors (2nd Round): August 31, 2017
- Final Paper deadline: September 15, 2017
- Publication of Special Issue: end of 2017

The papers must be formatted using the journal’s formatting instructions: https://www.elsevier.com/journals/information-and-software-technology/0950-5849/guide-for-authors

The papers submission and review process is handled via the IST’s online system called EVISE https://www.evise.com/profile/#/INFSOF/login remember to select the submission type: “Special issue: Gamification and Software Engineering”.

Each paper will be reviewed by at least two reviewers and the final decision will be made based on a maximum of one revision.

For informal inquiries on the suitability of a prospective paper, please contact us via e-mail: gamiseist@gmail.com

Guest editors:

- Fabiano Dalpiaz, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
- Raian Ali, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom
- Sjaak Brinkkemper, Utrecht University, the Netherlands

The Call for Papers for the Special Issue: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/information-and-software-technology/call-for-papers/call-for-papers-gamification-and-software-engineering