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.
4 Dudes on a Couch: Switch Co-Op Games
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Posted on November 13th, 2018 by
Videogaming with your friends in the living room has never been so good. When the Nintendo Switch was released, the detachable controllers meant that two player multiplayer gaming was ready out of the box. Buy a second set and now you have controllers for four. True multiplayer games were slow to start, but soon after Mario Kart was released a flood of indie titles were ported over or released onto the console. While cramming four people around a single Switch display may be asking too much, but the system is portable enough to carry over to a friend’s house for some fine multiplayer gaming. As a fan of 4PLG (four player local gaming) on a single system, I’ve kept my eye open for good quality multiplayer titles and I thought I’d share them here with you. Some are big-name indie titles ported over to the Switch while others are far less famous. There are many quality options out there, so consider this the beginning of what may be an ongoing series. Each of the following games allow four player local play on the same screen and (unless noted) can be played with just four JoyCons.
My Brother Rabbit (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on November 12th, 2018 by
A brother and sister live happily with their parents, but one day while playing in the garden, the sister gets very sick and the parents have to take her to the hospital. On the way, the older brother comforts his sister by telling her a story in a fantasy world. In the story, a rabbit and a plant are friends. But one day some evil purple growths appear and make the plant sick, so it’s up to the rabbit to help her. You play as the rabbit in this point and click adventure with hidden picture game elements. It’s available to download on most current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
G.P. the GamerPuppet Unboxes the Soul Calibur VI Collector’s Edition
Posted on November 9th, 2018 by
Hey there! G.P. the GamerPuppet here. You know Cary, right? He reviews a lot of stuff here. Mostly, he prefers playing family friendly, silly colorful titles like Kirby, Mega Man, or Mario. That’s why he’s a great fit for reviewing games on this site! But sometimes he likes to play games that are a little more grown up, like Phoenix Wright or Metroid. Another more ‘adult’ series that Cary likes is Soul Calibur from Namco. It’s a 3-D fighter that looks great and is very accessible to newbies and pros. Recently Soul Calibur VI came out and Cary got the Collector’s Edition, so here’s pictures of me unboxing it!
Dark Souls amiibo
Posted on November 7th, 2018 by
I got a new amiibo figure that I thought I’d share with you all. It’s the Dark Souls amiibo! This one proved to be one of the hardest for me to get, as it was a GameStop exclusive. I hate it when they do that! Also, I’ve never played a Dark Souls game, nor do I plan to, so I got this amiibo simply for collection purposes. So I don’t have much to say about it either.
Cartoon Network Party Dash (iOS, Android)
Posted on November 5th, 2018 by
Characters from Cartoon Network’s recent shows have gotten together for a party, from We Bare Bears, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Ben 10. But bad guys have come to crash their bash, so now it’s up to you to help those characters dash through vertically downward scrolling stages, for some reason. Cartoon Network Dash Party is free-to-play on iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers (Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
Posted on November 2nd, 2018 by
For several generations, youngsters have enjoyed watching shows on the Nickelodeon cable channel for kids. Heck, even when I was a little kid back in the 80’s, I enjoyed watching Nick shows such as You Can’t Do that on Television, Danger Mouse, and Double Dare. Even more recently I’ve been known to watch shows on that channel like Invader ZIM and The Penguins of Madagascar. My younger brothers would watch shows on Nickelodeon, too, such as Rugrats and SpongeBob Squarepants. And now kart racing and Nickelodeon fans can have fun together with Nickelodeon Kart Racers, available for nearly all current consoles, but reviewed on Switch here.
Salary Man Escape (PS4, PSVR, PC)
Posted on October 31st, 2018 by
People with mundane desk jobs know the feeling of wanting to escape, so here’s a physics-based puzzle game with those themes. Each stage is a maze of blocks, and you must create a safe path so a briefcase-carrying business man can make it to a door. To do this, you must remove blocks so other blocks will move or fall into place. So it’s a bit like Jenga. Salary Man Escape is available to download on PS4 and PC, and will also work with VR devices like PSVR. But since I don’t have a VR headset, it’s just reviewed on PS4 here.
Paw Patrol: On a Roll (Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
Posted on October 29th, 2018 by
Kids cable channel Nickelodeon has a block of shows for younger viewers (and a channel now, too) called Nick Jr. Nick Jr. has had many popular shows over the years, like Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer. The most recent hit show from Nick Jr. has got to be Paw Patrol. In this computer animated cartoon, a boy named Ryder has a team of puppies, each one represented by a community-minded job like police officer, firefighter, etc. So with his team of helpful and loveable pups, Ryder helps out the citizens of Adventure Bay with any problems they may have. No job is too big, no pup is too small, as he says. Now your child can help out, too, with a new Paw Patrol game for consoles (reviewed on Switch here).
Crayola Scoot (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on October 26th, 2018 by
Kids love Crayola crayons and coloring books. Who doesn’t remember the smell of a freshly opened box? Kids also love extreme sports and riding on their scooters outside. So what happens when you mix the fun of scooting in a skate park with the colorful magic of Crayola? You get Crayola Scoot, that’s what. It’s basically just Tony Hawk Pro Skater but with scooters, combined with color splatting gameplay from Splatoon. It’s available on nearly all current home consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Fishing Sim World (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on October 24th, 2018 by
There’s a new fishing game in town focusing on realism. It’s Fishing Sim World for PS4, Xbox One, and PC (reviewed on PS4 here). Create your angler’s gender, facial features, hair, clothes, and more. Then go out to lakes from all over the world, from the US, France, Germany, and others. Use real life rods, reels, and bait, too. But is the game a keeper or will you want to throw it back? Read on to find out!
