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.
Ticket to Ride: New York (Boardgame)
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Posted on October 9th, 2018 by
Arguably the best-selling modern boardgame is Ticket to Ride and its sequels. Players collect sets of train cards (like sets in Rummy), and use them to occupy routes on a game board map of the United States. Players earn points for placing large sets of trains as well as bonus points for managing to connect cities shown on their personal “ticket” cards. Many versions have been released which change the map (Europe, Asia, the UK, etc…) and each add in some small twist to make the version unique. Ticket to Ride: New York is the newest release and it takes most of what is best about the game and distills it down to a small box game, playable in less than 20 minutes (closer to 30-45 minutes if playing with new players.) While the “large box” games tend to allow more long-term grand strategy, New York serves as both a great introduction to the game and a fully playable version when you have less than an hour to spare.
Arcade Islands: Volume One (PS4, Xbox One)
Posted on October 8th, 2018 by
Welcome to an island filled with arcade style mini-games! Arcade Islands: Volume One is a downloadable collection of simple mini-games for one to four players. It’s available on PS4 and Xbox One, but reviewed on PS4 here. If you remember my review of Party Planet on the Switch, you have a good idea what this game is like.
Pinball FX3: Solo: A Star Wars Story (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on October 5th, 2018 by
Earlier this year, we got a new Star Wars movie based on Han Solo’s adventures before he met up with Luke and friends. I read that it bombed in theaters, which is a shame because I thought it was pretty good! I think I even liked it better than The Last Jedi. But now you can enjoy the movie in pinball form with Pinball FX3’s Solo: A Star Wars Story pack, downloadable for PS4, Xbox One, and PC (reviewed on PS4 here).
A Gummy’s Life (Switch, PC)
Posted on October 3rd, 2018 by
At the end of this month, on Halloween kids will dress up and go door to door getting candy, so what better time to play a game about gummy candies beating the sugar out of each other? That’s exactly what you do in A Gummy’s Life, an arena fighter for up to 8 players! It’s available to download on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Lightfield: Hyper Edition (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on October 1st, 2018 by
Lightfield is a futuristic racer but it’s unique in that you can fly anywhere you like in your spaceship. But you can press a button to hug onto nearby walls, floors, ceilings, and other surfaces, and when you do this, you go much faster. So you’ll want to do this as much as you can on the crazy tracks where you can go pretty much anywhere. The game is available to download on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (iOS, Android)
Posted on September 28th, 2018 by
For nearly every little girl who loves to play with Barbie dolls, the ultimate dream is to own Barbie’s Dreamhouse, a giant dollhouse for Barbie and her friends. And now your little girl can have that dreamhouse without having to put in a second mortgage and spend all night putting it together. The Barbie Dreamhouse app is available to download on smart devices (reviewed on iPad here) and is basically a virtual dollhouse featuring Barbie and her friends. I read there’s apparently a Netflix show about it, too.
Bloons Adventure Time TD (iOS, Google Play)
Posted on September 26th, 2018 by
Adventure Time is one of Cartoon Network’s most popular and long-running shows. Although I think they had their final episode recently. I have to say that in the 20 plus years I’ve been reviewing games, out of all the licensed ones out there, I think I’ve reviewed more Adventure Time titles than any other. In fact, I don’t really watch the show, I just get all my knowledge of it from the games, really. Speaking of things that have been around for a while, there is a game called Bloons that has frequented many web browsers and mobile devices. It’s game where monkeys pop balloons. Now Bloons and Adventure Time are teaming up on mobile devices with Bloons Adventure Time TD, a free-to-play tower defense game (that’s what the TD stands for) where balloons have invaded the land of Ooo, and it’s up to Finn, Jake, and the rest of the gang to pop them all! (reviewed on iPad here)
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on September 24th, 2018 by
An evil mole and his army have invaded a peaceful village of rabbits and stolen all of their carrots. Now it’s up to a ninja rabbit to get them back! Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is a high speed beat ‘em up with shooter elements. It’s available to download on nearly all the current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
The Games of the NES Classic Edition
Posted on September 21st, 2018 by
For the longest time I was kind of sad I never got the NES Classic Edition. But when Nintendo restocked them last, I was finally able to get one! So here is a blog about all the games you can play on it.
The Messenger (Switch, PS4, PC)
Posted on September 19th, 2018 by
In the distant future, demons have taken over the land and only a scant few humans remain. A clan of ninjas hide out on a remote island protecting the prophecy of a savior delivering a message on a scroll. You are a ninja in this clan and end up being the messenger in the prophecy. Now it’s up to you to save the day in this 8- and 16-bit retro styled 2-D platforming adventure. It’s available to download on nearly all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
