[External Tools] Integration with Mission US history games

[Steven_S]

Problem statement:

Online classrooms are encouraged to add interactive activities, and to add them in ways that do not require students to make accounts elsewhere. Mission US has a set of very interactive history games covering US history subjects. Those games are available for free online only if students make an account, but they are also available as zip files that I would like to have running from within Canvas.

The example I was trying to set up is available here: https://games.mission-us.org/downloads/mission01_pc_v1.zip

Instructions for Installation and Use of the Downloadable Version

1. Download the game to your computer. Be sure to pay attention to where the file is being copied on your computer; different operating systems have different defaults.
2. Install the game. Locate the downloaded file named “mission01_pc_v1.zip” on your computer and double-click to extract the game files. On a PC this will place a copy of the game on your computer in a folder of the same name. This downloadable version is a standalone Unity application, so it does NOT require the Unity player or use a browser. The installation simply creates a folder containing the application and all the necessary assets and data.
3. Play the game. Double-click on the icon labeled “Mission01.” Players may choose to log in with their Mission US account, or to play offline.

With the game into the files section with the exe file loaded into the modules page. However, the exe file does not run. I understand that is because the files section is for storage only. If it did, I could track that they started the game.

Proposed solution:

I propose that the game files be unzipped into a place where they would be allowed to run, and a shortcut to the running of those files provided to the integrated classrooms. Adding the solution as a third-party tool, would make this available to all US history courses. Please ask if my courses can be used as a test run.

User role(s):

instructor,designer

[AlexisNast]

I agree this would be a fantastic candidate for an LTI tool! Unfortunately we will not be able to build this as we don't own the underlying service so we would not be able to guarantee that it would be able to continue to function as the games service is updated. We have found that best practice is for the provider of the service to create an LTI tool themselves so that it aligns with their vision for the future of the service and adheres to their terms and conditions.

[Steven_S]

The game provider has files that can run directly on any computer.  There is no need to interact with any server or service.  The game is free and for educational use.  All it needs are the files within the zip file that they make freely available for download.  Couldn't you allow those games to be embedded to run on a canvas page from the canvas files section for the specific classes that want them - even if you do not make an app out of them?  All that is needed is a way to save the files in a place from which the exe file can run.  

I hope you will reconsider.