Building software quality models for computer games

电脑游戏产业是软件产业的重要组成部分。游戏是一个亿万富翁的市场，每年为加拿大的GDP增加37亿加元，支持超过40，000个工作岗位[2]。然而，软件工程（SE）社区很少研究计算机游戏，并且缺乏关于CG的研究，因为有一种观点认为CG比工程更艺术。 我的研究项目有助于计算机游戏软件工程（SEGA）的开发，专注于建模，测试和实验。该计划的长期目标是制定经验模型和方法，以解决CG工程的不足。它的活动将产生贡献，扩大CG工程的理论知识，同时也受到使用的考虑。在短期内，本建议旨在培养两名博士生和四名硕士生，并分为以下三个目标：* 1.建立电脑游戏测试的模型和新技术。第一个目标集中于应用自动转换（例如，测试放大），并针对回归错误的早期检测。此外，使用机器学习技术（强化学习），本目标将研究新的方法来自动生成和测试CG项目中的大量系统配置，以降低手动测试的成本。2.建立模型和新技术的电脑游戏调试。与测试一起，调试是发现故障的必要过程。以前的结果讨论了群众的方法来解决软件开发中的调试挑战。因此，第二个目标的重点是调查调试的计算机游戏。因此，使用协作方法调试计算机游戏的努力（如Swarm调试）是一个值得探索的研究机会。3.建立电脑游戏的经验理论和质量模型。对游戏机测试和调试现象的深入理解为探索CG的新理论和质量模型提供了机会。 因此，该目标侧重于与CG行业（如Ubisoft）密切合作研究，应用于以下领域：（1）SEGA中的人为因素;（2）数据驱动和机器学习SE，以改善计算机游戏中的软件质量实践;（3）构建软件质量模型，以支持CG问题。因此，我的计划有助于提高质量和降低维护成本的电脑游戏行业。**

Computer games industry (CG) is an essential part of the software industry. Games are a multi-billionaire market, adding CD$ 3.7 billion to Canada's GDP annually, supporting more than 40,000 jobs [2]. However, the software engineering (SE) community rarely studies computer games, and there is a lack of research about CG because there is a vision CG is more art than engineering. My research program contributes to the development of software engineering for computer games (SEGA) by concentrating on modelling, testing, and experimentation. The long-term objective of this program is the formulation of empirical models and approaches to address the lacks of CG engineering. Its activities will produce contributions that widen theoretical knowledge of CG engineering while being also motivated by considerations of use. On the short-term, the present proposal aims at training two doctoral students and four master students and is divided into three objectives as follows.******1. Build models and new techniques for computer game testing. The first objective focuses on applying automatic transformations (e.g., test amplification) in the context of DevOps and targets the early detection of regression bugs. Further, using machine learning techniques (reinforcement learning), this objective shall investigate new approaches to automatically generate and test large numbers of system configurations in CG projects to reduce the costs of manual testing.******2. Build models and new techniques for computer game debugging. Together with testing, debugging is an essential process to find faults. Previous results have discussed crowd approaches to address debugging challenges in software development. Thus, the second objective focuses on investigating debugging for computer games. Thus, the effort to debug computer games using a collaborative approach (as Swarm Debugging) is a research opportunity to explore.******3. Build empirical theories and quality models for computer games. A deep comprehension on testing and debugging phenomena for game computers opens an opportunity to explore new theories and quality models fro CG. Thus, this objective focuses on researching in close cooperation with CG industry (like Ubisoft), applying in the following areas: (1) human factors in SEGA; (2) data-driven and machine learning SE to improve software quality practices in computer games; (3) build software quality models to support CG issues.******Accordingly, my program contributes to advancing of quality and reducing maintenance costs to computer games industry.**