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.
George of the Jungle: Owie Owie (iOS, Android)
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Posted on September 26th, 2016 by
I’m a big fan of Jay Ward Studios, and I even used to know someone who worked there. So what is Jay Ward Studios? Well they made a pretty well-known cartoon called Rocky and Bullwinkle. They also did a lot of animated advertising, and created a pretty popular cereal character. You may not remember Quisp and Quake, but you might recall a certain seafaring gentleman known as Cap’n Crunch. Another cartoon they did back in the day was George of the Jungle. Despite having two dopey live action movies and a lousy animated remake, George still has one of the catchiest theme songs on TV. So when I read about a George of the Jungle free-to-play downloadable game on iOS and Android (reviewed on iPad here), I was mildly curious.
Reader Review: Style Savvy: Fashion Forward (3DS)
Posted on September 23rd, 2016 by
Style Savvy is a fashion designer video game published by Nintendo. The newest entry in the series, Fashion Forward, was recently released on 3DS. Ali Capasso, a good friend of mine and also an accomplished elementary school teacher, reviewed this game for me. She’s also the wife of Leroy Capasso, another very good friend of mine who has written reviews here for me before. Anyway, Ali is a huge fan of the Style Savvy games, so you’ll definitely want to click here to read her review!
Kubo: A Samurai Quest (iOS, Google Play)
Posted on September 21st, 2016 by
I’m a big fan of stop motion and clay animation. In fact, I even took a class on it once and now I have lots more respect for the folks who do that kind of stuff for movies and whatnot. Which is why I keep my eye out on what Laika does. Laika is a studio which has made stop motion movies such as Caroline, ParaNorman, and Boxtrolls. Their newest feature, Kubo and the Two Strings, takes elements form Japanese folklore and while the plot is a bit predictable, it’s still fun and visually stunning. Sadly, the mobile game tie-in, Kubo: A Samurai Quest, is yet another match-three puzzler, but I had to take a look at it anyway out of curiosity. It’s available free-to-play on iOS and Google Play, but reviewed on iPad here.
Fancy Cats (iOS, Amazon, Google Play)
Posted on September 19th, 2016 by
If you enjoy feeding and dressing up virtual pet cats by playing a match-three puzzle game, then Fancy Cats is for you! It’s a free-to-play mobile title (reviewed on iPad here). There are two parts to this game. You keep your cats in a garden where you can dress and feed them with various items you’ve earned by playing match-three puzzle missions in the square.
Unplugged: Pokémon: The Trading Card Game Mythical Pokémon Collections and Steam Siege Booster Packs
Posted on September 16th, 2016 by
When I was in college I used to write game reviews for The Dallas Morning News. This was in the late 90’s and when Pokémon first got popular, I was writing tons of articles about the franchise. I even like to say that Pokémon helped pay my way through college! I even covered Pokémon card game tournaments back then, and purposely learned how to play just so I could write about them better. I have to say that because of having to use energy cards to perform moves, I didn’t really like the card game as well because I felt that slowed the game down. Me personally, I prefer SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash on the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Anyway, Pokémon has always been big since then, but with the recent release of Pokémon GO on mobile devices, I imagine the franchise will get a boost of popularity this holiday season, including the card game. So parents, here are some new things you may want to look out for this Christmas if you have a Pokémon card game fan in the family.
Gleam: Last Light (iOS, Android)
Posted on September 14th, 2016 by
In the future, the last plant on Earth struggles to stay alive, but it needs sunlight. Unfortunately, the plant is at the bottom of a crystal-filled chasm, and the only way to it to obtain some sun is if the crystals reflect the light to it. In this free-to-play downloadable game, you must slice crystals on the touch screen so the angles will reflect the light so it reaches the plant. But it’s harder than it sounds! Gleam: Last Light is available for iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Eraser (iOS, Android)
Posted on September 12th, 2016 by
A man who was toiling hard on a blueprint drawing has fallen asleep on his work, and now he dreams that he’s in the blueprint, running away from a giant red marker out to get him! Help him get to the end of each page by tapping on the screen to erase objects on the blueprint to clear a safe path in this physics-based puzzler. It’s available to download for free on iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
PAX West 2016: Part 3
Posted on September 10th, 2016 by
So in this last PAX article, I’m just going to show some pictures and things I did that I just couldn’t fit into any other category. Lots of crazy stuff and people dressed in costumes of video game characters! Let’s check it out!
PAX West 2016: Part 2
Posted on September 9th, 2016 by
In Part Two of my PAX West 2016 coverage, we’ll take a look at games I checked out from smaller developers. But just because they’re smaller, it doesn’t mean that they’re any less important! I even got to play a brand new Toe Jam & Earl game! Also, I was able to try VR gaming for the very first time, so you can read my initial impressions here, too!
PAX West 2016: Part 1
Posted on September 8th, 2016 by
The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is one of the largest video game conventions open to the public. I’ve been going to it annually for nearly ten years now. PAX West in Seattle was last weekend, so here are my impressions of the show! The convention is so big that I had to split my articles into three parts. Before I get started, I wanted to let you all know that I couldn’t cover EVERYTHING at the show. I’m just one person and just tried to focus on games that interest me and what would fit the theme of this site. Anyway, in this first part, we’ll go over games featured by major publishers, like Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Capcom, SEGA, and Square-Enix!
