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.
Heavy Fire: Red Shadow (PS4, PSVR, Xbox One, PC)
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Posted on November 21st, 2018 by
In the not-to-distant future, North Korea and the United States are at war. You play the part of a US army gunner, and you must defend your post with your turret armed with machine guns and rocket launchers. Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s also compatible with PSVR, but since I don’t have any VR equipment, it’s just reviewed on PS4 here.
Catacombs (3rd Edition) (Boardgame)
Posted on November 20th, 2018 by
Catacombs takes the basic idea of flicking wooden discs around a game board and transforms it into a competitive role playing game of players vs a game master. Played over a series of boards, players journey into a dungeon in hopes of becoming powerful enough to beat the final boss in the game. A fun mix of disc-flicking, tactics, and a fantasy theme create a very unique, and enjoyable, boardgame. The newest edition (with fancy new rubber playmats rather than cardboard) is currently finishing up a Kickstarter campaign.
Heavy Burger (Switch, PC)
Posted on November 19th, 2018 by
When I was a kid in the early 80s, there wasn’t very many games that could pull me away from Pac-Man. But one of those games that did was BurgerTime. I enjoyed that game so much as a kid, that when I got home after playing it for the first time, I cut out a chef hat and pepper shaker out of paper and played ‘pretend’ BurgerTime around the house. Yeah I was a weird kid, but at least you can’t say I didn’t use my imagination! BurgerTime was made by Data East, a game company that isn’t around anymore, but they made some memorable games in the arcade back then. A few years after BurgerTime, another arcade game they made was Heavy Barrel, a top down overhead army shooter. I always thought of it as just another Ikari Warriors clone, and don’t have many memories associated with it. But I did see it recently at a retro arcade bar I went to. So taking a cue from combining other arcade games like Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders, what happens when you mix BurgerTime and Heavy Barrel? You get Heavy Burger, of course! It’s a super awesome multiplayer twin stick shooter featuring many of Data East’s arcade classics. It’s available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Just Dance 2019 (Switch, Wii U, Wii, PS4, Xbox One)
Posted on November 16th, 2018 by
The Just Dance series of games is one of the more popular console dance music games out there. So much so that there’s a new release annually, and it’s time for the 2019 version to hit with more songs and other goodies. It’s available for nearly all current game consoles (and even older ones), but reviewed on Switch here.
Swap This! (Switch)
Posted on November 14th, 2018 by
Help thaw out and free multicolored fish in this simple yet fun color matching fast action puzzle game downloadable on Nintendo Switch. To play simply tap two fish anywhere on the playfield to swap them out. If you can get four or more of the same color next to each other horizontally and/or vertically, the ice will crack, and after a second, the fish will break free and you’ll earn points. While the ice is cracking, you can match more fish and if you can free many fish of the same and/or different colors at the same time, you’ll boost your score!
4 Dudes on a Couch: Switch Co-Op Games
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.
