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.
Cary’s Best Video Games of the Year 2012 SO FAR Awards Show!
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Posted on July 1st, 2012 by
Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the “Cary’s Best Video Games of the Year 2012 SO FAR Awards Show!” I’m your host for this ceremony, with guest stars like Cammy, Pac-Man, Maya the ghost, Tepig, Tails, Pascal, Asha, and Taki (well, not really, but every awards show needs celebrity guests). Can you believe the year is already half over? At this time of year, I like to honor the best games that have been released in the first half of the year. Why? Well, the best games usually tend to be released during the second part of the year, due to the holiday season and all. So the games released during the first six months sometimes tend to be forgotten. So this is their chance to shine. Now, keep in mind that this is MY list only. No other outside opinions contributed. And since I’m only one person, I can’t play ALL the games out there, so some of your favorites might have been missed. So without further ado, here’s my awards show!
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (360, PS3, Wii, PC, 3DS, DS, Vita)
Posted on June 30th, 2012 by
Lex Luthor and the Joker have teamed up to terrorize Gotham City with a new Kryptonite-powered super weapon! Batman and Robin are going to need all the help they can get! Lucky for them, Superman and other members of the Justice League will lend a hand in this LEGO sequel available for all the major current game consoles (360 version reviewed here).
Diablo III (Win/Mac)
Posted on June 29th, 2012 by
As I began playing Diablo III, I quickly decided that I’ve had enough of the Diablo III franchise. Little things like how characters advance in power (not too much customization) and an over familiarity with the entire style of what is now Diablo-esque gameplay. However, I gave it a chance, and played on – after all I am a sucker for leveling up my character even if I might have preferred other choices. What I found, was that I was soon engrossed in the game. The main storyline seems to be cut and paste from any other “save the world from demonic enslavement”, but where Diablo (and Blizzard) shines are the little touches of humanity and creativity within the game. Sure, there are boss battles and epic loot to find, but stumbling across a touching (or perhaps morbid) little interlude in a side-quest is where Diablo III really shines. I have to conclude that Blizzard has done it again. Sure, there are many little (or even medium-sized) bits of the game I would have designed differently, but the polish and creativity put into the nooks and crannies of the game make it worth yet another dip into Diablo universe.
Brave: The Video Game (Wii, PS3, 360, DS)
Posted on June 28th, 2012 by
Pixar is back with its latest animated movie and the obligatory video game tie in showed up at my doorstep recently. Brave makes for a pretty decent video game tie-in. It boils down to an exploration/platforming game, with a bit of fighting and puzzle-solving along the way. Pleasant graphics, 2-Player options, and RPG-like upgradeable abilities add to make this a recommended game for family play. Details after the jump…
Online Boardgaming – Live!
Posted on June 27th, 2012 by
OK, there are all those online tournaments that promote huge fan bases watching people play for thousands of dollars. I’m never going to be one of those people. However, I do get my moment in the sun…
Yes, my favorite hobby, boardgaming, has reached that next level – whatever that is. Thursday evening (Tomorrow – June 28th) at 7:30pm EST, Northstar Games will be hosting a live video feed promoting their new edition of Wits & Wagers. They’ve recruited big names from all over the boardgame blogosphere, and myself for some reason, for a live competition of the new Wits & Wagers Party. Read on for details and the link…
Sesame Street: Elmo’s Musical Monsterpiece (Wii, DS)
Posted on June 26th, 2012 by
Now your child can make music with Elmo, the Count, some Honkers, and a little help from Abby Cadabby’s magic. Learn basic musical concepts with Sesame Street: Elmo’s Musical Monsterpiece for Wii and DS (Wii version reviewed here).
Game Genres I Don’t Like (and what it would take to get me to play them)
Posted on June 25th, 2012 by
Ever since I read about a NES strategy game called Nobunaga’s Ambition in a Nintendo Power as a kid, I have never had a desire to play the series. It just looked totally un-fun to me. I mean, who would ever want to play that, I thought to myself. Well apparently it’s very popular as the series is still strong to this day. But I swore I’d never buy it. Until last week, when I did. What caused me to buy a Nobunaga’s Ambition game? Well, they put Pokemon in it! Yup, Pokemon Conquest is one of the weirdest crossover games I’ve ever played. Warlords from feudal Japan paired up with Pokemon? Yeah, I had to try that. But it got me to thinking about other game genres I really don’t like, and what it would take to get me to play them. So I wrote a blog about it!
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland (PS3)
Posted on June 24th, 2012 by
Princess Meruru rules over a rural kingdom but secretly wants to be an alchemist. Her father the king forbids it, but after some convincing, gives her a chance. If she can use her alchemy skills to improve the kingdom in three years, he’ll let her be a full-fledged alchemist. Help Meruru reach her dream in this RPG that has a strong emphasis of item synthesis and time management. It’s the third in a series of Atelier games on the PS3, but while fans will recognize familiar reoccurring characters, newcomers can play it just fine without any previous knowledge of the series.
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Orchestra Concert in Austin, TX
Posted on June 23rd, 2012 by
Remember back in January when I was bummed that I missed the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert in Dallas, TX, and I wrote a blog about what kind of tunes I would have in my OWN Zelda concert? Well, thanks to the generosity of one of my good friends, he and I drove to the Zelda orchestra concert that was just in Austin, TX this weekend! Click to read more of what we heard!
Tomba! (PSN)
Posted on June 21st, 2012 by
One of the most beloved cult classic (yet hard to find) original PlayStation games is now available to download on the PlayStation store! And it’s one of my personal favorites, too! Such a great deal at only ten bucks, especially when you see how much the original disc cost now. Seriously, after reading this review, go look up Tomba on Amazon.com. YOWZA! Anyway, in the game, play as Tomba, a pink-haired jungle boy who had his grandfather’s golden bracelet stolen by some evil pigs. Now Tomba must stop the sinister swine from using gold to fuel their magic in this 2-D platforming adventure.
