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.
Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit: Submarine
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Posted on December 25th, 2018 by
The next thing you can build in the Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit is a submarine controller. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not sure I can describe this one very well. I’m not sure if it works like a real submarine because I don’t pilot those very often (or at all, really). And I don’t play very many submarine games either. The only one I can think of is when Yoshi transforms into a sub in Yoshi’s Island, and you know THAT’S realistic! Anyway, so let’s take a look at the submarine controller you can build and what it does.
Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit: Car
Posted on December 24th, 2018 by
Earlier this year, Nintendo released one of their most creative ideas in a long time for the Nintendo Switch. In fact, I read somewhere that TIME Magazine named it one of the best inventions of 2018! That was Nintendo Labo, and the sets came with sheets of foldable cardboard and a game that showed you how to build them into toys where you could attach Nintendo Switch controllers to them and play with them. A couple of months ago, they released a new set called the Vehicle Kit, which lets you build a steering wheel and gas pedal to drive a car, as well as controllers for a submarine and airplane flight stick. My brother Jeff and I FINALLY finished building them all, so this holiday week we’ll take a look at them, starting with the car.
New Smash amiibo
Posted on December 21st, 2018 by
A new Super Smash Bros. game recently came out on Switch, with lots of new characters and all returning ones. So naturally they’re going to have new amiibo figures, too! I got the first three: Star Wolf, Inkling Girl, and Ridley, so let’s take a look at them!
GamerDad Unplugged: 2018 Holiday RPG Guide
Posted on December 20th, 2018 by
Role Playing Games have surged in popularity in the past couple of years. If someone in your life shows a leaning towards imagination, creativity, or storytelling, an introduction to the world of role-playing games might be in order. In the past few years I’ve mentioned a few in the annual Unplugged guide, but the resurgence of the hobby deserves its own list this year. If you’re thinking about adding a role-playing game to your holiday gifts or activities, here are a few examples and ideas spanning a wide variety of types and recommended ages.
Truck Simulation 19 (iOS, Android)
Posted on December 19th, 2018 by
Truck drivers play an important part in American business. They sacrifice a lot of creature comforts to get items we need from place to place. And now you can experience some of what they deal with in Truck Simulation 19, available to download for mobile devices (reviewed on iPad here).
15th Annual GamerDad Unplugged Gift Guide – 2018 Edition
Posted on December 18th, 2018 by
Happy Holidays! Boardgaming has had a serious upsurge in the past few years, and there’s no better time to get into the hobby than an extended holiday break. As we at GamerDad have done for the past 15+ years, it’s time for an annual rundown of recent boardgames well worth your time. Nothing beats the social aspect of in-person gaming with friends. Last year’s run-down is a great list of recommended games. Here again are some great examples of boardgames to get you and your family gaming. 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 $50+ boardgames are expensive, but compare that to videogaming (and where multiple copies are required for multiplayer play) or heading out to the movies ($30+ for four people) and the economics of boardgaming shows their true value. Good boardgames are timeless, just as good today as they will be years in the future. They will provide many more hours of entertainment than most video games. In that vein, feel free to delve into some past year’s guides for 2016 , 2015 , 2014 , 2013 , or 2012 . For each game I’ve provided the number of players, an approximate MSRP (you might find it lower), and expected time for one game.
Cookie Jam Blast (iOS, Google Play)
Posted on December 17th, 2018 by
Get ready for another sweet free-to-play match three puzzle game for mobile devices (reviewed on iPad here). If you’ve ever played Candy Crush, you know what to expect here. Except this one has more of a baked goods confectionery theme. Slide shaped colored cookies to match three or more to complete objectives before you run out of moves. If you do run out of moves, you’ll lose a heart and have to start the level over.
Sega Heroes (iOS, Google Play)
Posted on December 14th, 2018 by
An evil being is cloning an army of heroes and baddies from different Sega game universes, and now it’s up to the original heroes to stop them in this match three battle puzzler featuring characters from all sorts of Sega games. It’s available to download free-to-play on mobile devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Somos (iOS, Android, PC)
Posted on December 12th, 2018 by
The idea behind Somos couldn’t be any simpler. You are a dot. Tap the left side of the screen to move your dot to the right, and tap the right side of the screen to move your dot to the left. You must do this to avoid obstacles and try to keep your dot from being hit. Sometimes you must tap on objects to clear them away from your dot’s side as well. And that’s all there really is to it. It’s available to download on mobile devices and PC free to start, but reviewed on iPad here.
Save Me, Mr. Tako (Switch, PC)
Posted on December 10th, 2018 by
With titles like Shovel Knight and The Messenger, 8-bit NES styled games are all the rage. But you don’t see too many retro revivals in the style of the old black and white Game Boy. Which is a little strange since that handheld produced a lot of classics like Super Mario Land, Tetris, Kirby, and even Pokémon! Heck, my number one favorite Zelda game: Link’s Awakening, was on the Game Boy. But now comes Save Me, Mr. Tako, which is styled just like a Game Boy game and could’ve been a real classic had it been released back then. You play as (mostly) an octopus named Tako (Tako is octopus in Japanese). The humans and octopuses are at war, but when Tako rescues a human girl, he must decide which side to stand for, and save the world in the process. The game plays like a 2-D platformer, similar to titles like Kirby or Starfy (but much harder). It’s available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
