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.
Arby’s Kids Meals Have…Shovel Knight?!?
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Posted on April 16th, 2021 by
So I’ve written about fast food chains doing kids meal toys based on video games in the past. Burger King or McDonald’s doing Mario or Pokémon toys, for instance. Heck, I’ve even wrote about Arby’s doing Sonic the Hedgehog toys in a past kids meal promo. But those aren’t much of a surprise since all those games are in the public eye forefront. So when I saw that Arby’s was now doing Shovel Knight toys in their kids meals, I was like, “WHAT?!?” I mean, Shovel Knight is a very popular indie game. But it’s still just an indie game. Didn’t think it was something kids were into. But as a Shovel Knight fan, you know I had to take a look at this, so let’s dig into Arby’s latest crazy kids meal promo!
BodyQuest (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on April 14th, 2021 by
In the far future, computers and nanobots help heal humans with diseases and sicknesses, and doctors can even shrink themselves and go inside their patients’ bodies to help out. When some viruses kidnap one of the computers, it’s up to you to dive into the human body and save them and rescue the patient! BodyQuest is an educational action game where you’ll learn about the different parts of the body and the organ systems. It’s available on Switch and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Magic Twins (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 12th, 2021 by
Twin witch sisters Abra and Cadabra decide to use their magic to dye their clothes, but when the spell goes wrong, all sorts of colored monsters appear from their cauldron and cause havoc everywhere. Now it’s up to the twins to use their color magic to zap all the monsters in this two-player focused action puzzle game. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Let’s Bake Pokémon Cookies!
Posted on April 9th, 2021 by
Pillsbury just released Pokémon themed ready-to-bake cookies. They’re just sugar cookies with Pokémon related pictures on them. You’ve seen cookies like this before, I’m sure, especially around holidays like Christmas, Halloween, and Easter. I got some, so let’s check them out! You might see more Pokémon products than usual this year since it’s Pokemon’s 25th anniversary. So there’s also a bonus item at the end of this article as well!
Beach Buggy Racing 2: Island Adventure (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on April 7th, 2021 by
Pick your driver and buggy and race on (mostly at first) tropical themed tracks in this kart racer sequel. It’s available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Space Otter Charlie (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on April 5th, 2021 by
In the future, humans have left Earth and now all the animals must fend for themselves. When the weather gets too warm for otters, they build rockets to leave Earth to find other hospitable planets as well. Join Charlie and his crew of otters as they explore abandoned space stations and other craft as they scrounge for parts and upgrades and maybe even find a new home for them and all their animal friends. Play as Charlie in this unique 2-D platform action game where you ‘swim’ through anti-gravity space, sticking to walls and using thrusters to get around. It’s actually a fairly unique concept and the game is pretty good and turned out a lot better than I thought. Space Otter Charlie is available to download on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
NEO GEO Pocket Color Selection vol. 1 (Switch)
Posted on April 2nd, 2021 by
Game maker SNK is known for their fighting games, but they also made their own consoles, like the NEO GEO and subsequent arcade machine. When it came time for them to compete with Nintendo’s Game Boy Color, they brought out the NEO GEO Pocket Color. This was a really awesome little handheld, and for a short while, I even liked it better than Nintendo’s portable offerings. And now you can play a collection of ten NGPC games on the Switch!
Bob Help Them! (Switch, PC)
Posted on March 31st, 2021 by
Meet Bob. He helps people. Help Bob help people in this retro styled chore simulator with a heavy emphasis on time management. Chop wood from trees, harvest fruit, and other Animal Crossing style activities for the laziest group of NPCs ever. But you have to do it all fast and efficient, as you’re under a strict time limit in each level. Bob Help Them! is available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
EyeJust Screen Protectors
Posted on March 29th, 2021 by
Everyone, including kids, are using tablets, phones, and staring at screens more and more. These types of devices emit ‘blue light’ that is said to be harmful to eyes, skin, and sleep. Of course, the simple solution is to limit your kids’ time on those devices. But with COVID, remote learning is being used more in schools, so they really don’t have much of a choice. But now there is EyeJust, a series of screen protectors that block that harmful blue light. They’re available for most mobile phones, tablets, some laptops, and even the Nintendo Switch! Being blind in my left eye since birth, I’m always on the lookout for things to help protect my eyes. So I’m happy I was able to give some of these a try for review purposes.
Cat Mario & Peach A-“Meow”-bo Figures
Posted on March 26th, 2021 by
Super Mario 3-D World + Bowser’s Fury was recently ported to the Switch, so in honor of that, Nintendo made a couple of amiibo figures featuring Mario and Peach in their cat power suits from the game. I got them both, so let’s take a look at them!
