Office Madness: Design and Pilot Evaluation of a Serious Game for Learning the C++ Programming Language

In this paper, a new serious game (SG) called Office Madness, is presented. The game is about learning basic and advanced concepts of the programming language C++. Its design was carried out using the EFM design model, while its pilot evaluation was carried out using the MEEGA evaluation model. The main goal of the game is to introduce users to the C++ programming language in a fun and serious way. In contrast with most of the existing programming SGs that are based on puzzles, this game uses an office metaphor and the player undertakes the role of a candidate programmer. The game uses techniques and mechanisms that ultimately aim to stimulate the learner’s sense of seriousness and responsibility when learning C++ and not just to entertain him/her during training.