Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
Welcome to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. My name is Andrew S. Bub - the GamerDad - and I've been writing about videogames, movies, and children for over 15 years now. After working as a magazine journalist, I switched gears to write about how media violence affects children, educating parents about them, and working closely with magazines, newspapers, major retailers and even politicians. GamerDad is an internationally recognized expert in this field. Games, movies and media are fun, kids and families love them, they aren't going away. So join me in cutting through the hype and lets have a real conversation about the things that matter: Video Games, Violent Media, and their supposed effect on children and families.
StarLightRiders: HyperJump (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
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Posted on December 17th, 2025 by
This is a typical vertically scrolling bullet hell shooter with pixel graphics. StarLightRiders: HyperJump is available on all current consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Schildmaid MX (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on December 15th, 2025 by
I love how the title screen art for this game has a scantily clad Valkyrie riding a dragon in outer space battling a multiheaded hydra while a giant eagle looks on. And none of that is in this game. Except for the outer space part. Anyway, Schildmaid MX is a bullet hell styled horizontally scrolling shooter with a neat gimmick. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
My Brother and Nephew’s Second YouTube Video!
Posted on December 12th, 2025 by
Earlier this year, my brother and his stepson made a ‘Let’s Play’ YouTube channel and their first video was playing Party Animals. Now they have a second video up where they play Fall Guys! So I thought I’d share it with you here.
Unplugged: GamerDad Holiday Guide 2025
Posted on December 11th, 2025 by
Happy Holidays! After two decades of a GamerDad Unplugged Holiday Guide I think it’s finally time to say boardgaming has officially gone mainstream. There’s no better time to get (or get your friends and family) into the hobby than an extended holiday break. There are boardgames out there to meet up with almost any taste. Boardgames are timeless, just as good today as they will be years in the future, so a purchase today will still be serving you well into the future. As we at GamerDad have done for the past 20-odd years, it’s time for an annual rundown of recent boardgames well worth your time. Feel free to delve into some past year’s guides for 2024, 2023, 2022, or older as they’re still great candidates for your consideration. You might not find all these titles at your local mega-mart but many can be found online or in a friendly local game store. Some may argue $70+ boardgames (or more) are expensive, but compare that to video gaming (and where multiple copies are required for multiplayer play) and the economics of boardgaming shows their true value. For each game, I’ve provided the publisher (to help you find it), an approximate MSRP (you can probably find it lower), the number of players, the expected time for one game, and the manufacturer’s recommended ages. These age listings are often set for legal reasons and I would say most could easily be skewed lower for experienced younger gamers.
(Buy through this link and GamerDad gets a kickback…)
House Fighters: Total Mess (Switch, PS4, PS5, X/S, PC)
Posted on December 10th, 2025 by
This is an aerial combat game but instead of real jets you pilot toy planes inside a house. It kind of reminds me of an old Dreamcast game called Toy Commander. That game has a bit of history here because the founder of the GamerDad.com site, Andrew S. Bub, wrote a strategy guide for that game back in the day. And since House Fighters just focuses on the dogfights and is fairly family friendly, it also reminds me of another game I played more back then called Snoopy vs. The Red Baron. Anyway, House Fighters: Total Mess is available on all current consoles but reviewed on Switch here.
Bomb Kitten (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on December 8th, 2025 by
Help a mischievous looking kitten use dynamite to blow up blocks and enemies in a grid-like playfield in Bomb Kitten. If this looks and sounds like Bomberman, well, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that. Except this game takes out everything that made Bomberman fun. You’ll see what I mean by reading this review. Anyway, Bomb Kitten is available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Hallmark 2025 Video Game Christmas Ornaments
Posted on December 5th, 2025 by
Hallmark always has a wide variety of Christmas ornaments every year, and in the past few years they’ve even had lots of video game themed ones! I got a bunch of them this year as well, as I always do, so let’s take a look at them!
The Good Old Days (Switch, PC)
Posted on December 3rd, 2025 by
I was a kid in the 80s, and because of that, there are a lot of movies around then that really shaped my childhood. These include trilogies like the original Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future films, as well as others like Gremlins and Ghostbusters. But one 80s movie that I wasn’t as big a fan of was The Goonies. I think it’s because in the summers, my best friend’s cousin would come over to visit and always bring her videotape of The Goonies and want to watch it with us every day! I got so tired of it! But like most other movies at the time, The Goonies got a few video games. The most popular were the NES games from Konami. The first one wasn’t really released in the US outside of arcades, but the second one was pretty popular, at least in my group of friends anyway. So if you liked the gameplay of those classics, you may want to check out The Good Old Days. It’s a 2D Metroidvania style platformer where you play as a group of kids called The Noogies. They’re tasked with finding treasure in underground caverns to make enough money to keep their parents’ house, but they only have one day to do it and they must compete with a gang of thieves! Only thing it’s missing is that catchy Cyndi Lauper song! The Good Old Days is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Plants vs. Zombies Replanted (Switch 1 & 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on December 1st, 2025 by
One of the most popular ‘casual’ tower defense style games has to be Plants vs. Zombies. The original game was even reviewed on this site (not by me) way back in the day (2009). There’s been a few spinoffs as well. I reviewed a pinball game based on the franchise in 2012, and there’s also the 3D Garden Warfare games (I hated I missed out on those, they look like fun). I also remember seeing the game a lot at PAX and E3 in years past, like costumed zombies from the game and they would give out paper cone hats to showgoers. And now, more than 15 years later, you can play a HD version of it on modern consoles with new levels and features. Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch 2 here.
Kirby Alarmo
Posted on November 28th, 2025 by
Normally Kirby welcomes you to Dream Land, but with Alarmo he now can help you leave it. Nintendo’s alarm clock, which I’ve talked about last year, lets you download new alarms and characters every so often, and earlier this year I’ve even written about that. And now there’s a Kirby themed alarm for Alarmo as well. So let’s take a look at it.
