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.
Marblelous Animals (iOS, Android)
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Posted on May 20th, 2019 by
Animals worldwide are turning into round fat versions of themselves, and it’s up to you to roll them into holes in mazes. The game doesn’t explain HOW the animals became that way, but the press release I got says it’s because of their fast food diet. This free to download game for mobile devices (reviewed on iPad here) plays like those marble maze games where you must tilt the maze to get the marble where it needs to be.
Unplugged: The Pokémon Card Game Featuring Detective Pikachu
Posted on May 17th, 2019 by
When I was in college and writing game reviews for The Dallas Morning News, the first E3 I went to was when Nintendo was going to release Pokémon in the US for the first time. I knew it would be a big hit, so I requested to my editor that I be in charge of covering everything Pokémon related for the newspaper. He was like, “yeah sure, whatever,” but he did keep his promise for at least a couple of years. I even learned how to play the Pokémon card game so I could cover events and competitions revolved around it. I like to say that Pokémon helped pay my way through college as I was writing tons of Pokémon articles then! It’s amazing to me that Pokémon is still super popular after all this time, even the card game. And now there is a new live action movie out in theaters called Detective Pikachu. To celebrate, the makers of the card game have released a wide selection of Detective Pikachu cards and packages, so today we’re going to look at all of them!
Furiends (iOS)
Posted on May 15th, 2019 by
Take care of a lovable pup in Furiends, a free-to-play game for iOS devices (reviewed on iPad here). Furiends is an AR game, and AR stands for Augmented Reality. What this means is that the game uses the camera on your mobile device and places objects over the image so it looks like they are in your space in the real world. The most popular example of this is probably Pokémon GO, but there lots of other games that use this, too. In Furiends, they make it look like a puppy is walking around where you’re at. You get a breed at random, I think. I got a German Shepherd and I named it Rush. It looks pretty realistic except for the ‘too-much coffee’ eyes. Then you get to play and take care of your new virtual pet in lots of ways.
Feather (Switch, PC)
Posted on May 13th, 2019 by
The joy of flight is always a highlight in many a video game. Remember when you first got an airship in a Final Fantasy game? Or the wing cap in Mario 64? How about flying with feathers in Banjo-Kazooie? Speaking of feathers, here’s a game that’s nothing but flying as a bird, as you soar around an island in a stress-free environment. Feather is available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on the former here.
The Games of the PlayStation Classic: Part 2
Posted on May 10th, 2019 by
I got so long-winded last time when talking about the games in my last blog on the mini PlayStation Classic that I decided to split it into two blogs. So if you haven’t read that one yet, I encourage you to please do so. Anyway, here’s the second batch of games on the PlayStation Classic. I don’t have as much to say about most of these games, so hopefully this will go by a little faster.
The Games of the PlayStation Classic: Part 1
Posted on May 8th, 2019 by
The Sony PlayStation is one of my favorite game consoles of all time. It had a major impact on the industry and on many people’s lives, including my own. So I was intrigued when Sony announced their PlayStation Classic system last year. Similar to the NES and SNES Mini Classics, the PlayStation one is a tiny little console shaped like a little PSX and has 20 games preloaded onto it. So I was glad when I got it for Christmas last year. I finally got around to trying it, so I thought we’d take a look at what’s on it together in this blog.
She Remembered Caterpillars (Switch, PC)
Posted on May 6th, 2019 by
I’m not really sure why this game is called She Remembered Caterpillars. Before each level there is some text for some kind of story, but it’s not really necessary or related to the gameplay and just makes things more artsy and pretentious than what it needs to be. For all I’m concerned, the story is that you’re trying to make these little colored critters get to certain spots on a maze filled with colored bridges and whatnot, and when all the little guys are where they need to be, they’ll sprout propellers and fly away, moving you on to the next level. This puzzle game is available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Echo amiibo Trio
Posted on May 3rd, 2019 by
My latest batch of amiibo figures are a trio of echo fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Ken, Princess Daisy, and Young Link. Actually I’m not sure if Young Link is considered an echo fighter, as I don’t get into the nitty gritty semantics and details of Smash Bros. But anyway, let’s take a look at these amiibo!
Pliq (iOS, Android)
Posted on May 1st, 2019 by
Pliq is a Tetris-style free-to-play puzzle game downloadable on iOS and Android devices (reviewed on iPad here). Arranged rows of blocks fall from above, and you use the touch screen to create blocks from below. Tap the blocks again to make them disappear. Try to make your blocks match up to what’s falling so everything disappears and you get points.
Cook, Serve, Delicious 2!! (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on April 29th, 2019 by
Cook in all sorts of eating establishments and run your own restaurant in Cook, Serve, Delicious 2!!. It’s a downloadable restaurant time management sim for nearly all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here. I’ve never played the first game, though, so I don’t know what’s been added or improved in the sequel.
