videogames | Liam O'Donnell

Patterns holds promise for gaming educators

by liam | Oct 14, 2012 | education, gamebasedlearning, gaming, Teacher's Guide, video games

Earlier this month, Linden Lab released a very early beta-version of their new sandbox game, Patterns. Clearly inspired by Mojang, Patterns takes the block-building structure Minecraft and adds two very interesting elements: triangles and physics. I downloaded the...

Talking video games, learning & Minecraft gardening on CBC Radio

by liam | Aug 14, 2012 | appearances, education, gamebasedlearning, gaming, literacy, media, video games, virtual worlds

Last month, I was contacted by the good folks at CBC Radio One to talk about how I use video games with students to help with their literacy and language learning. It was for a new show called Babel and the results of our interview were broadcast yesterday....

GamingEdus Open House & Minecraft Mayhem at Academy of Impossible

by liam | Aug 9, 2012 | appearances, gamebasedlearning, gaming, literacy, media, video games, virtual worlds

August is shaping up to be a busy month for the GamingEdus, the collective of gaming teachers I belong to. We have two big events for educators curious to learn more about using video games like Minecraft with their students. GamingEdus Server Open House Event If...

Launching the Multi-School Minecraft Server Project

by liam | Jan 30, 2012 | education, gamebasedlearning, gaming, media, video games

As I’ve said before, Minecraft is a fantastic game for many reasons. Not least of which, is the way it sparks the imagination, creativity and inquisitiveness of all players, young and old. I’m not getting paid to blog about the game, but that hasn’t...

First impressions: Wizard 101

by liam | Jun 13, 2008 | gaming, media, virtual worlds

Last night, I got my beta invitation to Kingsisle Entertainment’s new mmo for kids: Wizard 101 and although I’m still a mere Novice Conjurer who hasn’t explored much beyond Unicorn Way, I am impressed with the game so far. Wizard 101 answers the...