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 PEZ Dispensers
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Posted on February 7th, 2018 by
Recently I got some Nintendo themed PEZ dispensers so I thought I’d share with you all what they look like. Click here to see a bigger picture.
Tortuga Racing (iOS, Android)
Posted on February 5th, 2018 by
Kids can now practice their math skills while racing turtles in Tortuga Racing, available to download on iOS and Android devices (reviewed on iPad here). Choose from six different isometrically viewed tracks (more to come later), and race three other turtles to reach first place. Your shelled speedsters go slow at first, but you’ll be prompted to answer basic math questions to make them go faster!
My Animal Crossing Resume
Posted on February 2nd, 2018 by
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is Nintendo’s newest mobile title, and I have been into it ever since it came out! The Animal Crossing game series is very special to me, so to celebrate just how much fun I’ve been having with Pocket Camp, I thought I’d go over all the games and spinoffs in the series, and rate each one and share my special memories of each. So let’s get started!
Bust-A-Move Journey (iOS, Android)
Posted on January 31st, 2018 by
There are TONS of bubble popping puzzle games on mobile (in fact I just reviewed one), but how did they all get started? Well, the very first one was Taito’s Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move series. It started way back in the 16-bit days on consoles like the SNES and NEO GEO, and featured characters from their popular Bubble Bobble arcade game. And it’s been on practically every console since (although not lately), and it’s one of my top three favorite puzzle games. You’d think Taito would’ve been more strict on their copyrights for this game, since there are tons of bubble popping puzzles on mobile now, but maybe they don’t mind, as even back in the day, Taito licensed out that idea to another company who made a similar NEO GEO game called Puzzle de Pon around the same time (not to be confused with Nintendo’s Panel de Pon). Anyway, now the Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move series has gone full circle and is now a premium mobile game again (meaning not free-to-play). I didn’t get to review it when it came out, but recently Taito had a sale on mobile games so I picked it up for two bucks (I think it’s normally five). So I decided I’d do a quick review of it now on iPad.
Snoopy Pop (iOS, Android)
Posted on January 29th, 2018 by
The most popular dog in newspaper comic strips now has his own free-to-play bubble popping game on mobile devices (reviewed on iPad here). It’s been out for a while, but I just now got to play it since upgrading my iPad. Woodstock and his pals are playing with a bubble machine, when they get trapped inside colored bubbles and Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang must save them!
Cary’s Best Games of 2017 Awards Show!
Posted on January 26th, 2018 by
2017 will probably go down as a very good year in gaming. We got a new 3-D Zelda game, a new 3-D Mario game, 2-D Sonic and Metroid games…heck, we even technically got a new Animal Crossing game! Well, we also got a new Bubsy game, but let’s try to stay positive. It was a way better year in gaming than 2016, anyway. So now it’s time for my Best Games of 2017 Awards Show! Keep in mind that no outside opinions went into the making of this list. It’s just my own picks. And if a game is missing from my list, it either didn’t appeal to me as much, or I just simply haven’t played it yet. Can’t play all the games out there, you know! And I did kind of break the rules with my Game of the Year award, so expect some surprises. Anyway, let’s get started!
Amazing Katamari Damacy (iOS, Android)
Posted on January 24th, 2018 by
Katamari Damacy is one of the weirdest game series you’ll ever play. You roll around a sticky ball that can roll up anything, including animals, people, and buildings, and try to make it as big as you can in a time limit. I love this series, and the first game was even my Game of the Year back in 2004. Recently, Bandai Namco, the makers of the game, have dabbled in some mobile Katamari entries, including an endless clicker I reviewed a while back. And now they’re tackling continuous runners as well with Amazing Katamari Damacy. It’s a free-to-play downloadable title for iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Puzzle Fighter (iOS, Android, Google Play)
Posted on January 22nd, 2018 by
Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo is one of my top three favorite puzzle games, right on up there with Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble and plain ol’ Tetris. So I was really excited when Capcom announced a new Puzzle Fighter game for mobile devices (reviewed on iPad here). I was worried since it was going to be free-to-play, but you can read on to find out if my concerns were justified.
PAX South 2018
Posted on January 19th, 2018 by
The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is one of the largest video game conventions open to the public in the US. It started out in Seattle, then expanded to another show out East in Boston, and for the past four years, they’ve also had a show in San Antonio with PAX South. Since that’s only a few hours’ drive from where I live, I decided to go again this year along with my dad. It felt like a smaller show this year, but I still had a lot of fun, so let’s check out what I saw.
Pac-Man Clock
Posted on January 17th, 2018 by
Last year I got something cool for my birthday that I wanted to show you all. It’s a Pac-Man clock with a bunch of LED lights that simulates an old arcade screen. I originally saw it as a prize you can earn with tickets at Round 1 Arcade, but it cost too many tickets and buying it online was expensive, too. So I’m glad a family member bought it for me for my birthday. So let’s take a look at it!
