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.
Unplugged: GamerDad Holiday Guide 2024
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Posted on December 7th, 2024 by
Happy Holidays! Boardgaming continues to make inroads to wider audiences, and there’s no better time to get (or get your friends and family) into the hobby than an extended holiday break. There are boardgames out there to meet up with almost any taste.Boardgames are timeless, just as good today as they will be years in the future, so a purchase today will still be serving you well after the lockdowns go away. As we at GamerDad have done for the past 20-odd years, it’s time for an annual rundown of recent boardgames well worth your time. Feel free to delve into some past year’s guides for 2023, 2022, or older as they’re still great candidates for your consideration. You might not find all these titles at your local mega-mart but many can be found online or in a friendly local game store. Some may argue $60+ boardgames (or more) are expensive, but compare that to video gaming (and where multiple copies are required for multiplayer play) and the economics of boardgaming shows their true value. For each game, I’ve provided the publisher (to help you find it), an approximate MSRP (you can probably find it lower), the number of players, the expected time for one game, and the manufacturer’s recommended ages. These age listings are often set for legal reasons and I would say most could easily be skewed lower for experienced younger gamers. (Buy through this link and GamerDad gets a small kickback…)
On with the show!
Alarmo: Nintendo’s…Alarm Clock?!?
Posted on December 6th, 2024 by
Nintendo recently released something weird! It’s a fancy alarm clock called the Alarmo! But you can’t get it just anywhere. It’s only available either at the Nintendo store in New York City, or if you have a My Nintendo account and order it on that website. But one thing they won’t tell you in the ads for it is how much it costs. And the price is 100 bucks! That’s insane! But you know what? I caved in and bought one anyway. Why? Well one, I was in the market for a new alarm clock. Yeah I’m old fashioned and still use one of those instead of my phone. And two, lots of other people spend big money on those fancy Apple watches, so I figured I’d splurge and give this one a try. So is the Alarmo worth 100 bucks? You’ll just have to read on to find out!
Blazing Strike (Switch, PS4, PS5, PC)
Posted on December 4th, 2024 by
Blazing Strike is a 2D fighting game featuring pixel graphics like what you might’ve seen in fighters from the mid to late 90s such as Street Fighter Alpha or King of Fighters. It’s available on Switch, PlayStation platforms, and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
The Jackbox Survey Scramble (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC, Mobile)
Posted on December 2nd, 2024 by
If you have a bunch of people over to play games, but not enough controllers to play with everyone, then Jackbox has you covered! Their newest game is pretty much their take on Family Feud in that you must guess the highest (and sometimes lowest) answers on random surveys. All you need are cell phones to play! 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. Two to ten players can play, with even more in the audience. I’m not sure where they get these surveys from, but I think you can submit answers to some of these surveys while you wait your turn to play. Anyway, The Jackbox Survey Scramble is available on pretty much anything you can play a game on, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Hallmark 2024 Video Game Christmas Ornaments
Posted on November 29th, 2024 by
Hallmark always has a wide variety of Christmas ornaments every year, and in the past few years they’ve even had lots of video game themed ones! I got a bunch of them this year as well, as I always do, so let’s take a look at them!
Magic Cats Pots (Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 27th, 2024 by
Two reviews right in a row about piecing together pottery? And from the same publisher no less? What are the odds? Anyway, here you piece together broken mugs, pots, plates, and more in this jigsaw puzzle style game. Some of the pottery has pictures of cats or cat patterns on them, hence the name. Magic Cats Pots is available on some current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Amelia’s Garden (Switch)
Posted on November 25th, 2024 by
Amelia is a young woman who finds a rooftop garden filled with broken pots, so she decides to fix them and plant things in them to restore the garden. Help her do so by solving simple jigsaw puzzles and playing a planting mini-game on Nintendo Switch. Amelia’s Garden is actually a sequel/spinoff to a game I reviewed a while back called Tell Me Your Story, Amelia just being a bit older since the last game. But if it weren’t for the similar art styles and the fact that the press release told me so, I would’ve had no idea these two games were related (I didn’t even know Amelia was her name in the first game).
Pikmin Sprouts Up at Kura Sushi
Posted on November 22nd, 2024 by
There’s a chain of conveyor belt sushi restaurants called Kura Sushi. When you go there, if you eat enough sushi plates, you can win little prizes! A couple of years ago, I went there for my birthday because they had Pac-Man prizes! I wrote a big article about it here, so I recommend checking it out. In October of this year, they had Pikmin prizes and promotions, so I decided to go back so here’s another little article about that.
Skater’s Solstice (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on November 20th, 2024 by
Help an ice skater collect stars and find the glowing exit on frozen ponds in Skater’s Solstice. It’s a 2D top down viewed puzzler. You can skate up, down, left, or right, but you can’t stop going in that direction unless you hit a rock or the edge of the pond. You must figure out the correct path to take in each level (50 in all). The game is available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Stilt Fella (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 18th, 2024 by
When I was a kid, I always thought it would be fun to learn how to walk on stilts. But where would you buy them? And because of my disability, being blind in my left eye since birth and having limited depth perception and peripheral vision, it also affects my balance. It’s why I’ve never been able to ride a bike or skateboard. So stilts were definitely out of the question. But maybe I could do it in a video game? Well, here’s Stilt Fella, a game about guiding a dude through obstacles on stilts. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
