Using serious games in computer science education

Games are generally considered to be motivating and engaging and people spend a lot of time playing recreational games. Serious games can be used in Computer Science (CS) education to offer a different type of method to learn and discuss relevant topics. This paper presents a pilot study of using serious games at a Data Structures and Algorithms course. The games that were used were either card games or they were played on a blackboard. The results of the pilot study seem promising and we will use the games also in next year's course. In addition, this paper raises discussion about using serious games in CS education. The main points of discussion are, how serious games can be used efficiently and how to evaluate the effects of using games?