How Skyscanner is using game days to train engineers on observability

Skyscanner, a travel search aggregator, utilizes an observability platform enhanced by OpenTelemetry (OTel) and other open standards to tackle distributed infrastructure challenges, moving beyond traditional runbooks for incident management. By integrating OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP) with New Relic, Skyscanner benefits from a unified standard for instrumentation, enabling advanced data sampling and reducing data ingestion time. To train developers, Skyscanner implements "observability game days," where teams simulate real-world incidents using the OTel demo and New Relic platform. These exercises, featuring a "wheel of misfortune" to randomly select incidents, foster autonomy and adaptability in problem-solving, allowing teams to devise their own solutions while receiving guidance from observability experts. This approach not only enhances their understanding of New Relic features but also identifies organizational gaps in tool usage. Feedback from participants highlights the effectiveness of game days in boosting confidence and skills in debugging production systems, with over 90% expressing interest in further such learning opportunities.