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 Top Five Favorite Classic Namco Cameos in Tales RPGs
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Posted on April 18th, 2012 by
Tales of Graces f for the PS3 came out at just the right time for me. The main reason why I don’t finish RPGs that I start is because another game comes along that I get into, or I have a bunch of games to review (which takes top priority). And then I find myself not going back to the original RPG I was playing. I might’ve forgotten what I was supposed to do next in the story or I might not be as familiar with the controls. But Tales of Graces f came out at the end of March, and there has been NOTHING since then to distract me from it. Even when Kid Icarus: Uprising came out, I didn’t stop playing Graces since I didn’t like Uprising that much (see last blog). And there isn’t anything interesting coming out in May either, so I just might finish Graces. So since I’ve been on a bit of a Tales RPG kick lately, here’s another Tales blog. This one is about my top five favorite classic Namco references you can find in Tales RPGs.
Ghostbusting at GameStop: Spirit Camera 3DS Preview
Posted on April 14th, 2012 by
One of my guilty pleasures is watching ghost shows on TV. You know, the ones where ghost hunters go to haunted places to find proof of spirits via photos and video? Or the ones where celebrities or others recount their paranormal experiences? Yeah, I know those TV shows are pretty dumb and most of it probably isn’t real at all. But hey, we all have guilty pleasures and that one’s mine. Plus I just think ghosts are cool in general. Naturally, Ghostbusters is one of my all-time favorite movies. And one of the things I like most about Pac-Man are the ghost monsters: Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde. So when I found out that a Nintendo sales representative was going to be showing a new 3DS game about ghosts at a nearby GameStop, I decided to attend. So here’s a brief preview of Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir which was released on Friday, April 13th! Whooooo!
World Gone Sour (360, PS3, PC)
Posted on April 12th, 2012 by
Ever tried a candy called ‘Sour Patch Kids?’ I haven’t, but believe it or not, I really don’t like candy that much. Never have, even when I was a kid. That’s just one weird fact you now know about boring ol’ me. ANYWAY, even though I’m not familiar with the candy, I have seen the “Sour Patch Kids” commercials that advertise the confections being both sour and sweet by having the candy character play a mean trick (sour), and then being nice (sweet). Now you can play as one of the sweet candy characters as you explore a “World Gone Sour,” a downloadable game for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC (360 version reviewed here).
Nintendo games that I’m just not as into
Posted on April 9th, 2012 by
Nintendo is my second favorite video game company, no doubt. Beaten only by Namco for the number one spot. I think I like Nintendo’s games so much because of my preference for cheerful, lighthearted fare, which many of Nintendo’s titles fall in this category. But did you know for every Mario, Zelda, and Kirby there is a Nintendo title or franchise that I’m not that into? Because of the recent release of Kid Icarus: Uprising, featuring a lesser known Nintendo character, I thought I’d go over some of Nintendo’s properties that I’m not as big about.
Spyro and Frito-Lay Team Up!
Posted on April 6th, 2012 by
We here at GamingWithChildren love Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures, as can be seen in a feature here and a review here. Now Frito-Lay and Activision are working together in a cross-promotion where if you buy certain brands of multipack chips, you could earn codes and enter a chance to win Skylanders figures. If your kids enjoy the Skylanders game and enjoy eating chips for snacks or pack them in school lunches, you might be interested in this. Click here to read the full press release:
The Games of the Capcom Digital Collection (360)
Posted on April 3rd, 2012 by
Recently I snagged a copy of Capcom Digital Collection for Xbox 360. It’s a compilation of a majority of Xbox LIVE games that Capcom has published over the years, all on one disc. So I thought I’d go over them all briefly here.
The First Nintendo 3DS StreetPass Meetup in the North Dallas, TX Area Takes Flight!
Posted on April 1st, 2012 by
This past weekend, on March 31st, I attended what will hopefully be the first of many Nintendo 3DS StreetPass meetups in the North Dallas, TX area. A lot of people attended, and that was great. But the best part was that very same day where we were meeting, a Nintendo sales representative was also there to show off Nintendo’s new 3DS game: Kid Icarus: Uprising!
Indiana Jones Marching Band Show
Posted on March 31st, 2012 by
I found something on YouTube that I have been looking for a long time. Back in high school I was in marching band and one year we did a show featuring music from the Indiana Jones movies. It was my favorite show out of all that we did when I was in high school.
Mario Party 9 (Wii)
Posted on March 28th, 2012 by
I was recently able to give the latest version of Mario Party a try, and put it through its paces. I have extremely fond memories of the first Mario Party title on the N64, spinning that little joystick like a madman to various goofy, yet fun, minigames. Players competed for stars within a quick series of matches or a strange sort of boardgame structure. The Bumper Balls minigame in particular was a masterpiece. It still remains the best gaming experience I can provide to a group of non-videogamers to demonstrate how fun the hobby can be. Unfortunately for me, Mario Party has since lost its way. The first few games did have random elements, but throughout successive generations of the title, luck became a greater and greater portion of the game. The newest incarnation, Mario Party 9, makes for a fine bit of four player family entertainment (I must admit we experienced occasional moments of hilarity, but they were most frequently due to the capricious nature of the game, rather than arising out of head to head competition.) Thus I cannot recommend the game for anyone seeking a game based upon true competition. It still stands as a valid game that does a good job of equalizing skill between different player abilities, but this is accomplished by its strong luck component rather than any more clever mechanisms.
Glow in the Dark!
Posted on March 26th, 2012 by
No, I didn’t capture a ghost on photograph (although that would be cool). My brother Jeff’s new hobby is making video game character sprites out of Perler Beads. So I thought I’d show you his latest batch. You’ll ‘glow’ with amazement after you see these!
