Yesterday, I had the chance to present at DiGRA 2026! Had an incredible time meeting scholars from all over the world who are interested in game studies. Happy to say the paper I co-authored with @jordanmagnuson.bsky.social on game poems and pleasure is now online: dl.digra.org/index.php/dl...

Beyond happy to share that I have successfully defended my viva this morning! My work examined feedback features in digital serious games, developing and evaluating a taxonomy and a feedback system for a maths game. This work was developed at @tudublin.bsky.social and funded by @researchireland.ie.

Proud to present the STEM Passport for Inclusion at @tudublin.bsky.social for international guests from Hangzhou Normal University! STEM Passport is funded by @researchireland.ie and led by Katriona O'Sullivan at @maynoothuniversity.ie.

Social media, but make it an eternal journey to attain knowledge?

I'm excited to share that Game Poems Issue 1 is now live at www.gamepoems.com/issue01 A new online literary magazine dedicated to exploring the artistic and poetic potential of short-form videogames by publishing new games directly in a playable format. Thanks for playing and sharing!

Sai do fake @andrealmo.bsky.social

I was recently in Kerry for the Age-Friendly AI's first Citizens' Think-In event! It was incredibly enriching to discuss everyday AI topics with participants. Looking forward to the next events!

I recently took a nighttime trip and had to wait for a connecting train for an hour. It wasn't too bad, though. It was dark and quiet; there was peace in that stillness. I wrote a cinquain, a poetic form created by Adelaide Crapsey, about it. almoghost-exe.itch.io/train-to-tra...

I made a short game poem about taking a bus in Dublin. I went local with its title, '83 to Kimmage'! 🚍 ☘️ Check it out here: almoghost-exe.itch.io/83-to-kimmage

Happy to have joined Age-Friendly AI today in Cork for the 50 Plus Show! It was so enlightening to talk to older adults about their thoughts and experiences with Artifical Intelligence.

As someone who loves gamification, productivity apps, and monster collecting, it was an honour to talk to Milton Ren, the creator of Focumon! Focumon is a gamified tool where you collect, train and evolve creatures as you focus on your tasks. 👾 Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

Okay, I created another tiny thing... 'Tangent Book Club' is a short experience that tells the story of a group of friends who get together to discuss books, but their conversations always end up falling into tangents. 📚 Play it here: almoghost-exe.itch.io/tangent-book...

We recently launched 'Greenia', a tabletop RPG where magic is connected to nature. After getting some amazing feedback, we decided to create some extra content, including unique scenarios, spells and NPCs! 🎲 🌳 🌿 Download the game for free here: almoghost-exe.itch.io/greenia

Super proud of this short weekend project!

this conversation was so fun and inspiring (and you can tell i was having fun because of how much i had to say 😂). andré is an incredibly thoughtful and compassionate writer, and i'm so honored to the subject of one of his interviews; i really felt so understood. thanks for the great times!!!!!

Games can educate, challenge, and open conversations — even around topics we often avoid. I spoke with @square2mom.bsky.social about her award-winning game (val)iant, sex ed, emotional pacing, and care through play. 📰 Read the interview: open.substack.com/pub/andrealm... #GameDev #SexEd

It was super fun to work on this game with some friends! While not 100% intended to be a serious game, it ended up having quite strong sustainability education elements! 🌲🌿 #sustainabilityeducation #sustainability #ttrpg #rpg #1pagerpg #seriousgame #gamebasedlearning

🐞Create nature corridors in cities 🌾Allow nature to take back nooks & crannies (sometimes called “weeds”) 🦋Mow your lawn infrequently & do not fertilise it, to encourage plant diversity & 🦋 🅿️ Convert paved front gardens back to nature

“… for every 10% increase in impervious surfaces – such as roads and building cover – there was a reduction of up to 7.5% in the variety of pollinating species…” Cities need more green & blue spaces for nature (and people) to thrive.

This was a fun little holiday project! Please pay a virtual visit to the Swamp Bakery. 🥖✨🐸 This was supposed to be a simple web development exercise, but I just couldn't resist and ended up illustrating all characters and menu items... www.codedex.io/us3sQYJhIPB2...

Me and Maíra Amaral will be in Dublin Maker 2025 bringing the Living Beeings game to one more venue in Ireland! 🐝🇮🇪 Join us on the 30th and 31st of August in Leopardstown to play a board game about creating a bee-friendly garden. 🪴🌼 #DublinMaker dublinmaker.ie/makers/livin...

Just published an interview with comfiedev (Samuli Pietikäinen) on experimental game design, spoken word pacing, and building digital split EPs. We talked about his recent game releases and what it means to make small, strange games. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

After being introduced to the concept of game poems, I've been neck deep in this small, niche space. I've recently had a conversation with Brendan Allen, writer and game developer, discussing his work and how constrained engines can bring out creativity. open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

I've recently concluded my research placement at @uni-graz.at, as part of my PhD at @tudublin.bsky.social! 🇮🇪🇦🇹 I was hosted by @manuelninaus.bsky.social at the Digital Psychology Lab, which focuses on developing digital learning technologies, including video games, as well as evaluating them.

Me and Maíra Amaral recently presented the 'Living Beeings: Pollination Adventure' game again, at the 2nd Geogames Symposium, hosted at the @molimuseum.bsky.social! 🐝🌸♟️ It was really enriching to show and talk about our game with fellow educators, researchers and game designers!

Was a pleasure to be interviewed! Thank you for the opportunity!

mobOS isn’t just a game — it’s a full-blown operating system that brings that early 2000s internet back: desktop pets, dodgy downloads, and a programming language you can use to build games inside the game. Read my full interview with @palmonds.dev: open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

I’ve played games all my life, studied them in my PhD, and always thought about how many possibilities there were in game design — and Jordan Magnuson’s concept of "game poems" makes that range even greater. Full piece here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

Phasmophobia is a superb game, and a few years ago, I went digital ghost hunting with two friends. We were a good team – a coward, a daredevil, and a runner. But one of us didn't make it. 👻 open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

Before the days of digital subscription services, the best way to get access to movies and games was paying a visit to your local video rental store. 🕹 🎮 I've wrote about my experiences during this short moment in history in this week's 'LudoSpectre': open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

I grew up being obsessed with Tamagotchi, Digimon, and Mega Man (maybe this all led me to a PhD in Computer Science). Looking back now more than ever, these stories offered more than nostalgia. Check my full piece about these fictional digital companions: open.substack.com/pub/andrealm...

Me in academia

Stardew Valley is a cosy farming sim, but why does Pelican Town rely so much on one farmer’s generosity? In LudoSpectre’s first guest post, Vladimir Pedro explores the game’s hidden economic themes! 🔗 open.substack.com/pub/andrealm... #StardewValley #GameAnalysis #LudoSpectre #IndieGames

🌾 What makes farm life sims so captivating? In my latest text for LudoSpectre, I explore the genre’s roots, its biggest hits, and the latest buzz! 📖 Read here: open.substack.com/pub/andrealm... #LudoSpectre #FarmLifeSim #StardewValley #FieldsOfMistria #GameAnalysis

This chimes with a chat myself and @charlietaylor.bsky.social had in the latest episode of the Connected AI Podcast, in light of the UK creative industry's pushback on AI models gobbling up their work. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/3pPc...

🎮✨ LudoSpectre’s first Cultural Séance is here! ✨🎮 I explored Dodgeball Academia, an over-the-top, super-powered sports RPG, through its cultural ties. Check it out: andrealmo.substack.com/p/brpg-ball-... What other games capture their cultural essence in a unique way? Let me know! 👀

I'm thrilled to announce LudoSpectre! 🎮👻 A newsletter exploring the spooky crossroads of games, comics, animation, culture & storytelling. Expect game analyses, personal tales, and eerie pop culture insights. Subscribe if you dare: andrealmo.substack.com 🎮✨

📢 Non-EU PhD researchers in Ireland, we need your input! The Postgraduate Workers Organisation is collecting responses to understand your experiences and challenges. Help us make Ireland more competitive for international research talent. docs.google.com/forms/d/13g3...

I had a blast last week presenting the Seven Spells game from the Happy Maths project as part of the U First Programme at Dublin City University! 🧮🇮🇪 Secondary school students participated in several events and saw the university up close. They also got to play for a bit, as well as see some code! 👾

I just gave this a listen; it's a great start to the podcast with a brief history and an overview of the current landscape of AI by Elaine Burke, Charlie Taylor and Alan Smeaton! 🎙️ Looking forward to the next episodes! open.spotify.com/episode/4tRU...

Happy to have been in this session at Technological University Dublin! 🍩 We discussed Doughnut Economics, sustainability, and watched 'The Forest Midwife', a documentary by Beta Bajgart, following Catherine Cleary on her journey to create a forest reserve in Roscommon. 🌱🇮🇪

It was a pleasure to speak at this session of Showcasing Education and Public Engagement in Research. 💜 It was lovely to talk about the science communication I have been doing – since my undergrad years! – in Neuroscience, Public Health, Pharmacology and Sustainability. 🧠💊🌱

We had a focused writing session yesterday at Dublin City University, organised by CRT-AI and d-real. ✏️ I worked on my thesis for some good hours with no distractions. It was so motivating to see my peers immersed in their projects, and we also had some insightful discussions during breaks! 🧠✨📝

Today @ulliecker.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social & I respond @lseimpactblog.bsky.social to critics of misinfo research & set the record straight: misinfo is (i) a cause of societal ills, (ii) prevalent, (iii) impacts behavior, & (iv) can often readily be identified! blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

A new paper from Happy Maths is officially out! 📑 In this work, we analysed students' performance in different versions of a digital maths card game, and which variables may have influenced their performance. 🃏🧮 Full paper: papers.academic-conferences.org/index.php/ec... #ECGBL24 #ECGBL2024

I had a great time at the 18th European Conference on Games Based Learning, in Aarhus University! 🇩🇰 I got to see incredible games and research on games and learning from all over the world. 🌍 I also had the opportunity to talk about our work at the Happy Maths project! 🎮🧮

On my way to the 18th European Conference on Games Based Learning, hosted by Aarhus University in Denmark! 🇩🇰 I'll be discussing some of our results experimenting with different game modes in the Happy Maths project! 🎮🧮 I'd like to thank d-real for its financial support throughout the PhD. 👨🏻‍🎓

We held our second 'Living Beeings' session at the Irish Museum of Modern Art yesterday! 🎲🐝 I can't express how nice it felt to see people playing our game and having such a great time at the Earth Rising festival! 🌱🌍 We're looking forward to creating more fun, educational games! ✨

Me and Maíra Amaral are just back from the Irish Museum of Modern Art, where we held the first game session of our newest board game, 'Living Beeings: Pollination Adventure'! 🐝🌸 We had players from 4 to 12 years old having fun and learning about bees. We'll be there tomorrow again! 🌱🌍

Me and Maíra Amaral are proud to announce 'Living Beeings', a collaborative board game about bees and pollination. We will be holding two game sessions at the Irish Museum of Modern Art as part of the 2024 Earth Rising Festival! 🌍🌱 Check the full schedule: imma.ie/whats-on/ear...