Charles Coomber of San Diego took an innovative approach to teaching geometry to an isolated 7th grade class yesterday: Alyx

Half-Life: Alyx was released on Sunday, March 23. However, by the next day, Coomber was not only familiar enough with the game to know which marker pens to use, dry erase markers, and which surfaces were suitable for writing on, but he had also developed his in-game handwriting to an enviable level of legibility.

The video of this lesson was posted on YouTube yesterday and as of this writing has already been viewed over 200,000 times. That's 200,000 people, and presumably the age range of the intended audience is well beyond 12-13 years old, who have been tricked into learning about geometry by the novelty of VR. [After a cursory glance at City 17, Coomber is admirably committed to actually using the game in the classroom, limiting it to a rooftop greenhouse with a window that serves as a makeshift whiteboard.

However, the temptation to have them watch the entire video (which is, after all, only 17 minutes long) in order to watch the game and have fun learning one or two things about geometry at the same time is strong. In addition, Coomber rewards those who stay until the end with a brief tour of his (or rather, Alix's) in-game apartment.

Kumber's not the only one making creative use of Half-Life: If you're looking for ideas, Kumber's not the only one making creative use of the intro sequence in Half-Life: Alyx: 8 things you can do with the intro to Alyx Fun Things Not only can you have fun writing on the glass, but there are also a few little Easter eggs reminiscent of the old Half-Life games. There are many fun and interesting ways to mess with the pigeons on the roof, mess with the cops outside your apartment, or mess with the innocent citizens under the balcony who are going about their daily routines the wrong way.

If you're making the leap to VR for Alyx, consult the best GPU and VR headset for Half-Life: Alyx