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.
Buddy & Me: Dream Edition (Wii U)
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Posted on August 17th, 2016 by
What if whenever you go to sleep, you could dream about playing with your best friend, who happens to be a big, furry, yellow floppy-eared smiley dragon thing named Buddy. Well that’s the premise behind Buddy & Me, a new downloadable game for Wii U. I’m not sure what’s so different about the “Dream Edition” in the title, but I imagine at one point this was a mobile game. It may be yet another continuous running 2-D platformer, but it’s certainly the most charming one I’ve ever played, as it combines the appeal of Dr. Seuss-like characters with a bit of My Neighbor Totoro for good measure.
Shephy (iOS, Android)
Posted on August 15th, 2016 by
I’m not sure how you pronounce it, but Shephy plays like one of those indie card games you buy at those fancy gaming and comic book stores. In fact, while looking up pictures for this review, turns out that Shephy IS a real card game. You can even buy it on Amazon. It’s a Solitaire style game where you try to build your flock of sheep up to 1,000 by strategically playing cards that add and take away from your flock. It’s a free-to-play downloadable title on iOS and Android, but reviewed on iPad here.
Tap My Katamari (iOS, Android)
Posted on August 12th, 2016 by
So there’s this new genre of mobile games called “Idle Clickers” or “Endless Clickers,” and all you do is tap on the screen repeatedly to make something happen. Like build a town or whatever. I’ve been getting countless press releases and announcements about these kinds of games, but so far I’ve refused to review them because I think the idea is stupid. But when they made an Endless Clicker based on Katamari Damacy, one of my favorite video game series, I just had to try it, especially since I missed out on the other mobile Katamari offerings. So here you go, a review of a game in a genre I probably won’t write about ever again. Hopefully. Tap My Katamari is available for free on iOS and Android, but reviewed on iPad here.
Frantic Shooter (iOS, Android)
Posted on August 10th, 2016 by
I love it when game titles describe what the game is like. This free-to-play downloadable for iOS and Android (reviewed on iPad here), reminds me of other intense overhead shooters like Robotron, Smash TV, Geometry Wars, or Assault Android Cactus, but with single touch controls.
DungeonBalls (iOS, Android)
Posted on August 8th, 2016 by
So I’ve played games that combine dungeon crawling with trivia games, Minesweeper, and lots of other crazy pairings. But I’ve never played one that combines dungeons with…pachinko? Pachinko is a kind of arcade machine where you drop balls that fall and bounce around pegs and you hope that they land in certain spots at the bottom. It’s very popular in Japan. Anyway, so in Dungeonballs you play as a group of anime styled characters who must venture into dungeons to battle monsters and earn money to rebuild their house that got burned down for some reason. It’s available to download on iOS and Android devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Cary’s 20-Year Anniversary Reviewing Video Games!
Posted on August 5th, 2016 by
Hey folks, I’ve got a big announcement to make! This August, I will have been writing video game reviews semi-professionally for 20 years! Yup, it all started back in 1996. I bet most game reviewers don’t even last that long! So in honor of that, I decided to write an article about it, and share with you all how I got started, what I’ve done in the past 20 years, and some of my highlights and favorite memories. Oh, and I’d like to apologize in advance if this article sounds a little too self-absorbed and ‘braggy,’ as it is all about me. I promise I won’t be like this all the time in the future. But I figured that 20 years really IS a reason to celebrate, so I hope you don’t mind this, just this once.
Lumo (PS4, Vita, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on August 3rd, 2016 by
Back in the 80s, computers like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum were popular for playing games in Europe, and especially the UK. One type of game seen often on these computers were 3-D isometric viewed puzzle platformers. Even well-known game developers like Rare made a few of these. As a US gamer, that’s all I can tell you about that, but some of those types of games made it over to America. Like Solstice on the NES and its SNES sequel Equinox. I never played the sequel, but I did rent the first game a couple of times (mainly because the music was really good). The only other game I can remember like that was Monster Max on the Game Boy. Anyway, if you like those kinds of games, you’re in luck because a new game done in that style is out now and it’s called Lumo. It’s available for most modern consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS Vita here.
LightEaters (iOS)
Posted on August 1st, 2016 by
In this iOS game (reviewed on iPad here), you play as a boy who is afraid of the dark, but he must explore creepy pitch black factories and other dark locations for some reason. Armed with only a flashlight, you must help him gather keys and find the exit in this 2-D platform puzzler adventure, all the while avoiding shadowy creatures who can eat the light away from your flashlight and leave you in the dark!
New Splatoon Amiibo!
Posted on July 29th, 2016 by
Last year, Splatoon made a big splash on the Wii U, and it still must be popular because Nintendo recently released some new Splatoon amiibo figures! There’s figures of the squid sisters, Callie and Marie (get the pun in their names?), as well as alternate colors of existing Splatoon amiibo. I got them all so let’s check them out!
Summer Fun With Nintendo and Yogurtland!
Posted on July 27th, 2016 by
Yogurtland is a chain of frozen yogurt stores, and now they’ve partnered with Nintendo for some summer fun. From now until the end of August, you can go to participating Yogurtland locations to get flavors based on popular Mario characters! They decorated their stores and everything, so I took some pictures so you all can see what they did!
