Towards the Generalization of Game-based Learning: Integrating Educational Video Games in LAMS Ángel del Blanco 1 , Javier Torrente 1 , Pablo Moreno-Ger 1 , Baltasar Fernández-Manjón 1 1 Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Informática. C/ Profesor José García Santesmases s/n. 28040 Madrid, Spain {angel.dba,jtorrente,pablom,balta}@fdi.ucm.es Abstract—In e-Learning the interest on the use of new kinds of highly-interactive content is increasing. In this regard video games are one of the media that is gaining momentum because of their high potential for enhancing both students’ motivation and learning outcomes. Nevertheless, the actual adoption of games in the educational system is scarce. In this paper we identify different open issues to be addressed to reach the aforementioned goal. To deal with these issues and broaden the use of educational video games, we propose their integration into the existing e-Learning infrastructure. Moreover, we present the integration of the <e-Adventure> educational game platform into the widespread Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) and discuss how this approach contributes to push forward the generalized adoption of educational video games. Keywords-activity sequences, <e-Adventure>, e-Learning, LAMS, LMS-game integration I. INTRODUCTION The e-Learning arena is experiencing an increased interest in the adoption of richer highly-interactive content in general and video games in particular. The potential of video games to enhance the learning process has been discussed thoroughly in the literature [1, 2]. Some of the most cited benefits of educational gaming are their potential to motivate and engage students, to promote self-directed learning, or to present safe test environments that students are free to explore, receiving appropriate feedback in short cycles [3, 4]. So far educational games have been applied in different settings and following a variety of approaches. Although custom developments are growing in acceptance [5], many of the use cases of educational video games are related to the application of COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) video games such as Civilization™, SimCity™ or Roller Coaster Tycoon 3™ [6]. Some of COTS video games are so rich in content and realism that can provide an extra educational and motivational value. Nevertheless the use of video games in educational settings is still limited due to several issues. First, there are issues concerning the social acceptance of video games within the educational community, as instructors do not always consider video games as real and viable learning tools and they have not received the appropriate training to apply them in their classes. Second, compared to other contents, video games are difficult to distribute and deploy as they are complex software programs that usually demand top-tier computers and complex installation processes. Third, educational video games add an extra complexity to the process of tracking the students’ performance. Last, but not least, it is still unclear how to embed video games into sound educational frameworks, which constrains the educational value of the games. These issues can be addressed at least partially by integrating video games into the already deployed e- Learning infrastructure. Modern Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle, Sakai or .LRN are now widely used and accepted in educational organizations. In this paper we describe the integration of the <e-Adventure> educational game authoring platform [7] into the widespread Learning Authoring Management System (LAMS) [8]. This initiative not only contributes to promote the generalization of video games in educational settings but also allows for using their educational value to improve the creation of pedagogical strategies. This paper is structured as follows: first, in section 2 we discuss the integration of educational video games, identifying open issues and how e-Learning technologies such as LAMS could help to address them. Then, in section 3 we describe the integration of <e-Adventure> games into LAMS. In section 4 we provide some discussion and finally conclusions and future lines of work are provided in 5. II. INTRODUCING GAMES IN THE LEARNING FLOW THROUGH E-LEARNING SYSTEMS The integration of video games into real educational settings is a complex task as they have their own special requirements. In this regard, one of the most relevant issues that are hindering the general adoption of educational video games is related to the educators’ perception of games. Instructors do not usually think of video games as educational tools. In many cases educators are not gamers themselves and do not have the appropriate background to feel confident when using video games. Therefore it is necessary to train instructors in the use of this kind of content and simplify as much as possible the task of dealing with video games to make them accessible for a wider range of educators. In addition, video games cannot be distributed as traditional content. Many video games demand last- generation computers that students may have neither at home nor in their educational institutions. This implies not only investing in new equipments but also its periodic updating, which is complex and even unaffordable for most of the educational institution budgets. Another issue that must be considered is that in educational settings the students’ interaction and Draft version. Please visit http://www.e-úcm.es/publications/articles.html for updated citation information