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.
Spindle (Switch, PC)
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Posted on November 3rd, 2025 by
In Spindle you play as the newly appointed Grim Reaper. But you soon discover that the souls of the nearly departed aren’t where they’re supposed to be, and a mysterious black substance has been appearing, making animals and monsters more aggressive. So it’s up to you and your faithful talking pig to figure out what’s going on. This game plays a lot like a 2D Zelda title. Attack enemies with your sickle and solve puzzles in dungeons to regain your powers so you can explore more areas. Spindle is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Halloween 1985 (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 31st, 2025 by
A vampire, witch, mummy, werewolf, and more have taken Jack O Lanterns from a pumpkin head man’s shop. Now you must play as that pumpkin head guy and get them back in this arcade style throwback that plays like a mishmash of titles such as Donkey Kong, Bomb Jack, Arabian, and more. Halloween 1985 is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Asfalia: Panic at the Mansion (Switch, PC)
Posted on October 29th, 2025 by
Young boy Charlie is in the park playing with his new puppies (I’m guessing this is the sequel to the last game I reviewed). But all of a sudden, a storm brews in and scares the puppies away. Charlie gives chase, only to find himself lost in a forest that leads him to a fantasy world. He sees puppy tracks leading to a huge mansion, so now he must find a way in and help out a bunch of crazy creatures along the way. Asfalia: Panic at the Mansion is a simple point and click adventure that kind of reminds me of those Humongous ones back in the 90s (Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam, etc.). It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Unplugged: The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era (Boardgame)
Posted on October 28th, 2025 by
Many of you may be familiar with the Elder Scrolls line of role-playing videogames. The series sports games consistently found in lists of the best videogames of all time. Elder Scrolls: Arena appeared in 1994, Morrowind in 2002, Oblivion in 2006, and finally Skyrim in 2011. From Morrowind onward the games have been showered with mods, re-released and redeveloped, and it has almost become a meme to see if a particular platform can run Skyrim. With such a strong role-playing pedigree, creating a boardgame that might stand up to the series is no small task. Chip Theory Games, a company known for developing deep games using premium components have taken on the challenge and succeeded wildly. Granted, the game is not cheap (it retails over $200!) but what you get is a game that captures much of the feeling of building and growing a character in the videogame but now you get to do it together with friends while sitting around a table together! Like the videogames, Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era can be played again and again, adventuring through multiple different provinces, pursue dozens of main quest stories, and (perhaps most importantly) construct and nurture player characters of almost innumerable variety. When one realizes the game can provide a group of 4 players with hundreds of hours of unique gameplay, one might claim the price averages out to be a bargain.
Asfalia: The Cranky Volcano (Switch, PC)
Posted on October 27th, 2025 by
Charlie is a young boy who wants to play with his dog after he gets home from school. But when she doesn’t want to play with him, he gets mad and storms off to his room. Once there, Charlie is transported to a fantasy world where he must calm a grumpy volcano and help out other crazy creatures along the way. Asfalia: The Cranky Volcano is a simple point and click adventure that kind of reminds me of those Humongous ones back in the 90s (Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam, etc.). It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Sonic Wings Reunion (Switch, PS4, PS5, PC)
Posted on October 24th, 2025 by
Back in the 90s, there was a series of popular 2D vertically scrolling shooters called Sonic Wings in Japan. When they were brought to the US, they were renamed Aero Fighters, so since that’s what I know them as, that’s what I’m going to be calling them from here on out. Anyway, Aero Fighters had three main arcade games, two of which were on the NEO GEO. They had some home ports on the SNES and PlayStation, and finally a 3D game called Aero Fighters Assault on the N64, which was more like Ace Combat. And now, nearly 30 years later, there’s a brand new game in the series with Sonic Wings Reunion. It returns to its 2D roots, and just like the others, I really like this one, too. It may seem fairly normal, as you pilot real life fighter jets over real world locations. But it has hidden aspects of goofiness, too. For instance, the pilots in these games include characters like a Japanese idol pop singer, a baby, and even a dolphin! Anyway, Sonic Wings Reunion is available on Switch, PlayStation consoles, and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer (Switch)
Posted on October 22nd, 2025 by
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer is a 2D horizontally scrolling shooter. It’s been previously available on other systems in the past, but now you can play it on Switch.
Criss Cross Castle (Mobile)
Posted on October 20th, 2025 by
What happens when you mix Scrabble with an RPG? You get Criss Cross Castle, that’s what. Help a wizard cast spells to defeat monsters by spelling words in turn-based battles. It’s available on mobile devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Pokémon Pirate Puffs
Posted on October 17th, 2025 by
There’s a snack brand called Pirate’s Booty that I think mostly does popcorn kind of snacks. I don’t really see them much in stores that I visit frequently, though. I think the last time I saw them was at World Market and I haven’t been there in years. But recently a close relative bought me these packs of Pirate’s Booty snacks featuring Pokémon. And you know me, I’ll write about anything video game related, no matter what it is. So let’s take a look at them!
Acecraft (Mobile)
Posted on October 15th, 2025 by
Cuphead was a run and gun action platformer with unique visuals in that everything looked like a cartoon from the 1930s. It was actually pretty amazing looking, and the only reason why I didn’t play it was it was too darn hard! But it was pretty popular and even got an animated series on Netflix. And a few imitators, too. Here’s one of those. Acecraft is a top down 2D vertically scrolling shooter where you play as cute animals in airplanes shooting down all sorts of cartoony baddies. It’s available on mobile devices but reviewed on iPad here.
