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.
Kung-Fu Zoo (Boardgame)
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Posted on March 20th, 2018 by
Kung-Fu Zoo has players flicking animal-themed dice into an arena to score points and/or eliminate other players by knocking them into a corner pocket. A fast moving game of skill, with a healthy dose of luck, makes for a great game for younger kids even if it won’t have much staying power for older gamers.
Jurassic World Pinball (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mobile)
Posted on March 19th, 2018 by
Dinosaurs are rampaging on pinball tables in Pinball FX3 with Jurassic World Pinball. It’s available on nearly all current game systems, PC, and mobile devices, but reviewed on PS4 here. To play Jurassic World Pinball, first you need to download Pinball FX3 (Zen Pinball if you are on mobile). Pinball FX3 is free and acts as your hub. Then you can purchase and download tables separately.
Bridge Constructor Portal (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC, Mobile)
Posted on March 16th, 2018 by
I just love the Portal games. They’re some of my most favorite puzzle platform titles and evil computer GlaDOS immediately became one of my top video game villains when I first saw her in Portal. And now Portal has teamed up with another puzzle game: Bridge Constructor, to bring you a new bridge building game with Portal themes. At first I wasn’t interested in Bridge Constructor, but after I heard there was going to be a Portal version, I got pretty interested in it after that. So much so that I reviewed the original game here. And I’m glad I did, as it helped me understand the Portal version better. Anyway, Bridge Constructor Portal is available for nearly all current game consoles, PC, and mobile devices, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Bouncy Smash (iOS)
Posted on March 14th, 2018 by
Bouncy Smash is a free-to-play arcade style platform action game exclusive to iOS (reviewed on iPad here). The game has an unnecessary story about synthetic life forms being created in the future, and then revolting. So a new group of life forms is designed to stop them. You play as one of those life forms, a little round blue ball with eyes named Arlo. You kind of look like a Dragon Quest slime, or that character from the 16-bit Smartball/Jelly Boy games (and I wonder how the puppet YouTuber Arlo feels about the name). Anyway, all you need to know is that you’re a little blue ball bouncing around trying to hop on other balls in a game that’s like a cross between Buster Bros. and Joust.
Joe Jump: Impossible Quest (iOS, Google Play)
Posted on March 12th, 2018 by
Meet Joe Jump. He’s a lumberjack and that’s OK. He runs through a forest jumping over obstacles and chucks throwing axes at any logs in his way. Joe Jump: Impossible Quest is a super-challenging continuous runner, and it’s available to download on most mobile devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Gunnar Computer Eyewear
Posted on March 9th, 2018 by
I’ve been blind in my left eye since birth, so I’m always looking for ways to take better care of my eyes and what vision I have left. Especially as I get older. We should all be like that, really, especially if you like playing video games and working on the computer. So much of the information that we take in is through a digital monitor, be it a phone, computer or TV. And looking at these devices too much can cause eye strain. Every year when I go to a show like PAX, I always see a booth for Gunnar Computer Eyewear. They sell mostly glasses that help protect your eyes while on the computer or gaming. I’ve always been curious about their products, so I’m so happy that I finally am able to try out a pair of glasses they sent me for review purposes. Click here and read on to find out more about the glasses Gunnar sells and how they work!
Dissembler (iOS, PC)
Posted on March 7th, 2018 by
Now THIS is a good mobile puzzle game! It’s downloadable on iOS and PC, but reviewed on iPad here. The object in the main game is to swap colored tiles so you clear all the colors at the same time with no leftovers. The game does a good job explaining the rules as you go, and it’s very easy to pick up, but tough to master the trickier puzzles. There are about 70 puzzles in all, and around six or so are added daily, so it’s pretty endless.
Atomik: RunGunJumpGun (Switch, Mobile, PC)
Posted on March 5th, 2018 by
This is one of those tough-as-nails 2-D platformers that’s becoming so popular right now, kind of like Super Meat Boy. You play as a dude in a jetpack racing in a sci-fi world with a dying sun. It’s available on mobile, PC, and now Nintendo Switch (reviewed on Switch here).
The Fighters of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Posted on March 2nd, 2018 by
Dissidia Final Fantasy was one of my favorite games on the PSP. It was a fighting game featuring characters from the popular RPG series, and there were two of them on Sony’s first handheld. I always thought it would be neat if there was a version of Dissidia on one of the big consoles, so I was excited when Square-Enix announced Dissidia Final Fantasy NT for the PS4. I’ve been playing it recently, so here’s a blog about the characters and stages you can find in it, as well as some brief impressions of the game as a whole.
Button Men: Beat People Up (Boardgame)
Posted on March 1st, 2018 by
Button men has players rolling to capture their opponent’s dice in a sort of alternate reality competitive Yahtzee. Players choose a Button Man that dictates their dice and any special powers and then alternate rolling dice to capture their opponents’ dice. Points are scored for captured dice and half points for one’s own dice that are kept through the end of the game. High score wins and another round is played in a best of three competition. Button Men is a fast playing, fun little game that is extremely portable.
