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.
Let’s Rate the Mario & Luigi Games!
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Posted on December 27th, 2024 by
Mario & Luigi: Brothership was just released, so I thought it would be fun to rate all the Mario & Luigi games that have come out so far. There might be some slight spoiler warnings here and there, but I’ll keep you posted on those. We’ll start from the worst in the series to the best. OK, let’s begin!
Pretty Girls Pop Match (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)
Posted on December 25th, 2024 by
Play a match three style puzzler with an RPG style party of pretty ladies as you match jewels in Pretty Girls Pop Match. It’s available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Minecraft Gingerbread House
Posted on December 24th, 2024 by
When I went to the Five and Below store a while back, I saw a Minecraft Gingerbread House kit for only 4 bucks or so. I picked up a couple of them. One for my nephew and twin nieces to do, since my nephew loves Minecraft (what kid doesn’t?). And I picked up another one to do with my other brother’s stepson when we would do Christmas at my mom’s house. So I thought I’d share that with you and show you what it looked like.
Neko Bento (Switch)
Posted on December 23rd, 2024 by
A Bento Box is a Japanese style lunch box. They’re usually pretty small, so arranging the food in them to fit as much as you can, and make it still look aesthetically pleasing has become somewhat of an art form. And now you can do that with Neko Bento on Nintendo Switch. It’s pretty much exactly like some games I’ve reviewed this past year featuring cats, dogs, and zoo animals. And now it’s with food.
Taito Milestones Volume 3 (Switch)
Posted on December 20th, 2024 by
Taito was a force to be reckoned with in arcades back in their heyday, as they are the ones who created Space Invaders after all. And now here’s another batch of their games that you can play on Nintendo Switch. Rastan fans would be especially interested in this one, as it has pretty much every game in that series on here! So let’s take a look at all the games.
Holiday Heroscape in Action
Posted on December 19th, 2024 by
Our local high school has the occasional evening of open boardgaming in the cafeteria. Students and teachers (and select <ahem> boardgamers, such as myself) are free to drop in and play some games on hand or bring their own. There were two gaming events in November and December. The first was just a night of fun while the second was pitched as a “decompression” time just before finals hit in earnest. Attendance was pretty good on both nights and one of the main attractions was the Heroscape setup I brought along. Heroscape is an excellent miniatures combat game that is great for family play. While the name “miniatures combat game” would normally imply a rules-heavy game of thick rulebooks, slow moving, somewhat tedious combat. (A miniatures wargame player would want to defend the genre by pointing out the huge strategic depth available within a game.) In contrast, Heroscape provides a game where a wide diversity of miniatures clash together across colorful hexagonal landscape. The bad news is that the game has been out of print for years, but the great news is that Renegade Games has just rereleased a whole new line of Heroscape content so it is a great time for new gamers to jump in.
Irem Collection Volume 2 (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on December 19th, 2024 by
Irem was a video game publisher who made a lot of arcade classics like Moon Patrol, Kid Niki: Radical Ninja, Kung Fu Master, and R-Type. They also made a lot of console games, including a couple of my favorites: Kickle Cubicle on NES and Steambot Chronicles on PS2. Sadly they went out of business in 2011, but now you can play a handful of their arcade games in this collection. This one includes a vertically scrolling shooter and a couple of run and guns, so let’s take a look at them. Irem Collection Volume 2 is available on all current consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Spellagis (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on December 18th, 2024 by
When a game becomes popular, you’ll usually find many imitators following it. Such is the case with Vampire Survivor. I’ve never played the game myself, but I’ve reviewed a few games that copy its formula. And now there’s Spellagis, another game trying to ride the coattails of Vampire Survivor’s popularity. Play as a mage and zap waves of enemies with magic in this simple top down viewed action game. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Fantasy Friends: Dream Worlds (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)
Posted on December 16th, 2024 by
Turns out that Fantasy Friends is a series of virtual pet games that I’ve never heard of, but this new entry in the series is a bit different. Play as a girl who travels to dream worlds and has her Fantasy Friend pets help her out in this 2D isometric puzzle platformer. It’s available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Mario Kart 8 Toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals
Posted on December 13th, 2024 by
In November McDonald’s had Mario Kart 8 toys in their Happy Meals. So I thought I’d show you what they had and which ones I got. So Let’s-A-Go!
