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.
The Games of Atari Flashback Classics vol. 1, Part 2
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Posted on February 7th, 2017 by
So this time we’ll go over the rest of the 2600 games in Atari Flashback Classics vol. 1. They did a pretty decent job with the presentation for these. You can view the box art and original instructions for each game. And when you start, you’ll see a replica of the Atari 2600 on the bottom area of the screen so you know what buttons to push if you want to change game modes and such. But I wish they would’ve gone the extra mile like how Activision Anthology did on the PS2. In that one, you had all those features listed above, plus you could view TV commercials, earn virtual patches, and even listen to 80’s music while you play. I really liked that collection because of that, and the fact that Activision’s 2600 games were better overall.
The Games of Atari Flashback Classics vol. 1, Part 1
Posted on February 6th, 2017 by
I love classic game compilations, but you don’t see them as much anymore since most of the time you just pay for each game to download on your hard drive nowadays. So when I saw that there were two physical disc volumes of Atari games for the PS4 and Xbox One, I made sure to snag them when I got my PS4. So for fun, I thought I’d go over the games on these collections. We’ll split this into two parts. First I’ll go over the Atari arcade games, as well as the Atari 2600 ports of those arcade titles. And in the next part, I’ll go over the rest of the 2600 offerings. And we’ll repeat the process with Vol. 2 as well.
PAX South 2017 Part 2: Modeling, Masquerades, and Miscellany
Posted on February 3rd, 2017 by
So at PAX shows I attend a lot of meetings with game companies showing off their new games, and that’s why my Part 1 article was mostly about. But I also take a lot of pictures that aren’t related to any of that stuff, but are still cool. So we’ll be looking at all that stuff in Part 2 of my PAX South 2017 article.
PAX South 2017 Part 1: A Switch for the Better
Posted on February 2nd, 2017 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 three 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 and several of my younger brothers. Last year’s PAX South was a little underwhelming for me, but this year was much better, thanks to more interesting indie games, a brand new lobby area just built at the convention center, and my first chance to play the new Nintendo Switch console!
Cary is Looking Forward in 2017!
Posted on February 1st, 2017 by
A new year brings promise of new video games, so I thought I’d write about which ones I’m looking forward to this year. Of course there will probably be some announcements of new games throughout the year (like at E3), as it’s a bit early. And of course some things may be delayed, too. But anyway, let’s take a look at what I’m looking forward to playing and reviewing this year.
Super Mario Run (iOS)
Posted on January 30th, 2017 by
Super Mario Run is kind of a big deal because it’s the first time in a long while that Nintendo has made a game for another platform. Sure they did Miitomo last year, but that was more of a social app and a scaled down version of Tomodatchi Life, and Pokemon GO was a joint venture. But this is an actual true game starring Nintendo’s most beloved mascot. It plays nearly like what you think it would, as a continuous runner starring Mario. He constantly runs forward in typical Mario themed worlds, and you just tap the screen to make him jump over obstacles. It’s available for iOS devices, but reviewed on iPad here, because I can’t imagine playing this game on a tiny cell phone screen.
Unplugged: D&D Minis – Monster Menagerie II (RPG)
Posted on January 29th, 2017 by
Traditional RPGs are games of the mind, but it doesn’t hurt to have spiffy little plastic figures on hand to help set the tone and sort through the complexities of battle. Figures can be bought unpainted or, for a bit more cash, they come prepainted. As a busy parent, I easily fall into the latter category. While any figurines aren’t cheap, they can add a bit of fun as players can see the unruly monsters gather around their poor characters, eager for a kill.
Dragon Quest Builders and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt Team Up for a Promotion!
Posted on January 27th, 2017 by
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is teaming up with Square-Enix to give you a chance to get goodies for their new PS4 game Dragon Quest Builders, and you can enter a sweepstakes, too! The promotion ends at the end of January, so sorry that I posted this a little late in the game. But feel free to click here for more details and to see how my local Menchie’s decorated for the event.
The Little Acre (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on January 25th, 2017 by
The Little Acre is a point and click adventure with hand-drawn graphics, so it kind of has a Willy Beamish feel to it. You play as father Aiden and daughter Lilly, who live on a small farm with Aiden’s dad. His dad is an inventor and has made a portal to another dimension. One day, he goes missing and Aiden searches for him and discovers the portal machine. When Lilly wakes up and finds her dad missing, too, she goes after them as well. It’s up to you to help reunite them and bring them back home. It’s available to download on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
BlazBlue Central Fiction (PS4, PS3)
Posted on January 23rd, 2017 by
BlazBlue is a series of popular 2-D fighting games by Arc System Works, makers of other well-known fighters like Guilty Gear. Now the latest in the BlazBlue series is available to play on Sony’s current home consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.
