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.
Hot Wheels Unlimited (Mobile)
Add Comment
Posted on November 23rd, 2020 by
For generations, kids have played with Hot Wheels toy cars. Heck, I certainly did back in the day. Even now I’m really tempted to get those Mario Kart Hot Wheels, but I have to practice restraint and not do that. Sucks being an adult sometimes! Anyway, now there’s a Hot Wheels game for the younger fans called Hot Wheels Unlimited. Build tracks and race on them in this free-to-play mobile game (reviewed on iPad here).
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Mobile, PC)
Posted on November 20th, 2020 by
If you have a bunch of people over to play games during the holidays, but not enough controllers to play with everyone, then Jackbox has you covered! Their latest batch of party games is out, and all you need are cell phones to play them! Just connect to Jackbox.tv on any phone and enter in the room code and you’re in! It’s pretty simple and works well, and in some games, even people who don’t have cell phones can be part of the audience and participate. The Jackbox Party Pack 7 is available on most anything that can play games, but reviewed on PS4 here. I like how the menu screen in this one looks like parade balloons, a perfect fit for the season. Anyway, let’s take a look at all the games!
Tin & Kuna (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on November 18th, 2020 by
Kuna is a purple monkey…armadillo…thing, who can roll into a ball to get around. He/She/It lives in a world full of floating islands and when the balance of the world is thrown off and evil emerges, it’s up to Kuna to save the day by…rolling little white balls into holes. Tin & Kuna is a 3-D action puzzle platformer that combines elements of Marble Madness, Super Monkey Ball, and…golf? It’s available on current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Powertris (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on November 16th, 2020 by
To this very day, one of my top favorite puzzle games is still plain old Tetris. But another puzzler I really liked back in the day was Pipe Dream, also sometimes called Pipe Mania. In that one, you arranged pipes so water can flow through, and you tried to keep that up as long as you could. But what happens when you combine Pipe Dream and Tetris? You get Powertris, a downloadable puzzler for Switch and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Kirby Dolce Collection
Posted on November 13th, 2020 by
Hey I thought I’d share something cool I got recently. A while back I ordered a “Banepresto Box” which is kind of like a loot crate except you know what you’re getting. This one had Kirby items and it was called the Kirby Dolce Collection. Not sure why it was called that but it was food related and a good deal at only 25 bucks or so. And you all know how much of a Kirby fan I am! Anyway, let’s take a look at what’s inside.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Posted on November 11th, 2020 by
A couple of years ago I reviewed Nickelodeon Kart Racers, a kart racing game featuring characters and tracks from multiple generations of cartoons from kids’ cable channel Nickelodeon. Now it’s back with a sequel with more characters, more tracks, and just more stuff in general. It’s available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cake Bash (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC, Stadia)
Posted on November 9th, 2020 by
Cake Bash is a multiplayer party game where you play as a piece of cake or other confectionary as you complete challenges in a bakery. Smack around the other cakes as you get the most toppings so you can be the best tasting cake in the store. Cake Bash is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Stadia, PC)
Posted on November 6th, 2020 by
Personally, I’ve never been able to get into professional wrestling on TV. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly have respect for the athletes and performers, but it’s just not something that has kept my interest. Although I do have a bunch of friends and family members who like wrestling on TV. One of my online friends suggested I review the new WWE 2K Battlegrounds game, as it’s a game that might appeal to kids and younger fans. Many kids do like TV wrestling, and who can blame them? It’s all about super cool, strong and athletic guys and gals performing over the top moves on each other. So I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give this one a try. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny (Switch)
Posted on November 4th, 2020 by
The NEO GEO Pocket Color was a handheld game system that SNK made in the late 90s to compete with Nintendo’s Game Boy Color. I loved SNK’s handheld and for a while I enjoyed it even more than Nintendo’s. So I’m really glad they’ve been releasing some of their games on the Switch. SNK is mostly known for their 2-D one-on-one fighters, so a lot of their series got entries on the handheld. One of their lesser known series is The Last Blade, which only got a couple of entries as opposed to other ones like King of Fighters or Samurai Shodown. I’ve even read that some say that The Last Blade is like a spinoff of Samurai Shodown, since they are both weapons based 2-D fighters set in medieval Japan. But I don’t really know if that’s true.
Umihara Kawase BaZooKa! (PS4, Switch, PC)
Posted on November 2nd, 2020 by
The Umihara Kawase game series has had quite a long history. It started back on the Super Famicom in Japan (SNES in the US). It never came out in the US then. In the game, you use a fishing line to hook and swing around platforms, similar to Bionic Commando. You can also hit and reel in fish-related enemies with your fishing line as well. The game was also known for being super hard, which has carried over into later games in the series. The first time the series reached the US was with Yumi’s Odd Odyssey on the 3DS, which I reviewed way back in 2014. The main character also appeared in a fighting game called Blade Strangers! Other games have appeared in the US recently, like last year’s Umihara Kawase Fresh!, which took a more open world adventure approach. But what happens when you mix the gameplay of Umihara Kawase with single screen arcade action games like Bubble Bobble? You get the newest game in the series: Umihara Kawase BaZooKa! It’s available on PS4, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
