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.
Fortune Street (Wii)
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Posted on January 4th, 2012 by
As a boardgame aficionado, I was excited to try out Nintendo’s new boardgame-oriented game for the Wii, Fortune Street. Fortune Street is a “true” boardgame and doesn’t rely on skill challenges, as one would find in Mario Party. Instead, one to four players (at home or online) participate in a Monopoly-esque game of rolling dice, buying properties, and investing in stocks and upgrades. The first player to reach a minimum net worth (or the highest value when the first player goes bankrupt) wins the game. I admit I’m starting from a lukewarm opinion on Monopoly, but Fortune Street takes the luck element from Monopoly and steps it up. This is the wrong way to go, completely overwhelming any of the few decisions presented to players during the game. A game of Fortune Street can take over an hour to play, far too long for a game where one’s fate relies so heavily on the luck of the dice. However, Fortune Street could be a good purchase for someone looking for a boardgame like atmosphere on the Wii, where nearly anyone in the family has a decent chance of winning.Cary is Looking Forward in 2012
Posted on January 1st, 2012 by
Happy New Year everyone! I’d like to kick off the festivities with a list of games that I’m looking forward to playing in 2012. Of course, not ALL the games coming this year have been announced yet, so I’m sure they’ll be more. But here’s a list anyway!
Scribblenauts Remix (iPad)
Posted on December 27th, 2011 by
One of the most creative ideas on the Nintendo DS is now doodling its way on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad! Scribblenauts Remix takes aspects and levels from the two DS games in the series, but does it work here? Read on and find out! (Reviewed on iPad here)
Cary’s “Best Games of the Year 2011 Awards Show!”
Posted on December 26th, 2011 by
Welcome everyone to the “Cary’s Best Video Games of 2011 Awards Show!” I’m your host, Cary Woodham, and tonight we’ve got a lot of great special guests: two dogs, Missile the Pomeranian from Ghost Trick and Chibiterasu from Okamiden. Also, She-Hulk from Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Tifa from Dissidia 012, and Reiko Nagase from Ridge Racer 3D. Plus Rayne from BloodRayne: Betrayal and Toad from Mario Kart 7! Not to mention Wheatley from Portal 2 and other robot friends like Fi and Scrapper from Skyward Sword! OK, none of those are really guests, but I think if someone drew all those characters up on stage, that would be some pretty neat fanart, don’t you think? All right, enough silliness from me, let’s get onto the games!
GiverDad
Posted on December 22nd, 2011 by
Christmas is a time for giving, well, actually any time is and should be, especially with today’s economy. GamerDad fully supports Penny-Arcade’s Child’s Play charity but since they’ve already hit an impressive $2.2 million, I figure my help can go elsewhere. I lack the infrastructure to ask for your help, but one thing I don’t lack is videogames. Early last year the GamerDad Family proudly gave over $1000 worth of videogames, hardware and accessories to the Ronald McDonald House charity but this Christmas I decided to do something a little different by having my kids comb through their collections and give what they wanted to give. I told them to “make it hurt” but reminded them that others were hurting more. I was shocked and proud to see the results
Pinfall
Posted on December 22nd, 2011 by
I first learned about Pinfall by accident at the Apple App Store, which is odd because it’s made by a friend to this site, and of mine, named Simon Windmill. I wish he’d told me about it sooner because it’s come to dominate the lives of the gamerfamily. Here’s why: It’s awesome.
SNK CLASSICS: P.O.W.: PRISONERS OF WAR & PREHISTORIC ISLE (PS MINIS)
Posted on December 21st, 2011 by
Two more of SNK’s pre-Neo Geo arcade classics are now available as PS Minis. Downloadable separately through the PSN store, you can relive SNK’s rich history with two of their more popular arcade titles on PS3 and PSP. The new batch includes the military themed brawler P.O.W.: Prisoners of War and the imaginative shooter Prehistoric Isle.
National Geographic Challenge! (360, PS3, Wii)
Posted on December 17th, 2011 by
National Geographic Challenge! is three kinds of games in one. It’s a quiz challenge, board game, and jigsaw puzzle collection. Brush up on your geography, science, and history with thousands of questions and plenty of footage and photos from the National Geographic archives (360 version reviewed here).
Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue (Xbox LIVE, PSN)
Posted on December 16th, 2011 by
Four new Marvel Pinball tables have joined the ranks on Xbox LIVE and PSN (360 versions reviewed here). Juggle the silver ball with boards based on X-Men, Ghost Rider, Thor, and Moon Knight in Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue, the newest pack for Pinball FX 2.
Face Racers: Photo Finish (3DS)
Posted on December 15th, 2011 by
Have you ever wanted to star in your very own kart racer video game? Well now you can with Face Racers: Photo Finish. Use the 3DS camera to take pictures of your face, design your avatar’s look and create a kart, then challenge the CPU, your friends, or online in this crazy yet oh so typical kart racer.
