Testing with proper bug investigation steps is an essential component in the development process. Teaching and learning bug investigation are nowadays performed in different contexts, with learners having different testing skills.

The aim of this paper is to report on using experiential learning for discovering the bug investigation steps. Two learning settings were investigated: informal vs formal learning, in-person vs online learning, testing practitioners vs students participants. Both meetings used game-based activities to engage participants and facilitate learning.

We report on the results of activities with both practitioners and students, distilling valuable lessons for reproducing this approach of experiential learning in learning bug investigation: the used games as system under test provided a fun way of learning and motivated students to participate in the activities, reflection on their actions and the reason behind their actions lead to the development of bug investigation models by the two groups. There are similarities and differences in the bug investigation steps models and in the way the groups perceived the experiential learning. Using games to experience the testing process was considered essential to the learning process, along with the experiential learning methodology.