Ten years of the arcade game maker pedagogical product line

Abstract

A software product line (SPL) is a set of products that is produced by an organization or organizations using shared assets. My position in the context of this workshop is that students cannot fully grasp the concepts of SPL until they see the interplay between the technical aspects of product design and implementation with the business aspects of planning a set of products as a unit instead of a single product at a time. We developed the Arcade Game Maker Pedagogical Product Line (PPL) as support for software product line education. The PPL has been used by several organizations and in various instructional and research contexts. I will relate several experiences in the construction and use of the PPL. The PPL has served its purpose well and continues to be used.