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Ask HN: What would a reality show for Software Engineers look like?

3 points by ranuzz ↗ HN
There are various skill based reality shows that focus on people/teams building stuff along with the usual drama. (like cooking, fashion, crafts, architecture etc).

What if there was a reality show where contestants were software engineers working on projects (like hackathons).

Do you see it happening ?

What else would you like to add ?

10 comments

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smoldesu
It would probably be the saddest thing I could ever imagine. I don't know how you could dramatize Googling ISO standards, but at that point I'd probably rather put on the Kardashians...
ranuzz
Only showing people code and compile might be sad, but what about the drama that ensues when it happens in a team of diverse individuals …
version_five
Another way to look at the question is along the lines of how do you capture coding in an entertaining and engaging way. If you look at popular depictions, you get things like solving some kind of 3D puzzle while spouting some technical jargon. Or being embodied and racing around doing things in a digitally rendered environment. These things get used because they give some physicality to something that is essentially abstract brain work. Its similar to trying to capture a math proof, and harder imo than talking about other kinds of engineering design, because even in something like circuit design there are physical parts that you can say what they are for in a way that doesn't require deep theoretical understanding.

All that to say, making an entertaining show would require an entertaining framing of programming, and there doesn't seem to be an accurate one that people have thought of yet. So if you can find a way to answer your question, it unlocks a lot more than just reality shows.

ranuzz
Very well put. You got me thinking about what I do as a software developer that might be considered entertaining. Maybe computer security events like capture the flag (https://ctftime.org/) or coding an AI agent in a simulated environment to achieve a goal (https://www.codingame.com, https://gym.openai.com/) or simply competing with others to solve an algorithmic problem either on time constraint or code length constraint.

Without appealing visuals none of it will be interesting to people who don’t have a development background. Maybe generative art is the answer but IMO it is more about art than programming.

AnimalMuppet
No, I don't see it happening, because it would be really boring - at least for most people.

An interesting show needs to have people the audience can identify with, facing stakes that the audience can understand and care about. You're not going to get either part of that with a reality show about software engineers. (Unless your audience is also software engineers - but I'm not sure how many software engineers would want to watch such a show.)

ranuzz
Haha, that was what I was afraid of too.
mtmail
I think it would have so much visual affect on the engineer's computer screen that it will be close to watching an esport event.

With hackathons I could see that the actual coding gets cut a lot (insert A-Team garage build montage) so the preparation, team building, occasional sound bits, and then final presentation is left.

ranuzz
Yeah, true. The human element and team dynamics would be more interesting to show on screen. Programming will be just a task to bring out the actual content which is the case in a lot of reality shows.
ksaj
How about a show like they have on HGTV where you have 2 candidate leads and a team. They are given a problem to solve or something specific that needs to be built, and each lead candidate has to develop a plan and then present it to the customer. This includes costing and novel approaches.

The customer chooses the lead who presented what they feel is the best solution.

The next quarter of the show is montages of the team building it, and the final quarter is the presentation of the results and customer response.

I think web sites or apps would be good for this type of show, since they have a visual element. People watching the show get a feel for the whole cycle, including project management.