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.
Donkey Kong Jenga
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Posted on February 13th, 2011 by
Two classic games: the arcade favorite Donkey Kong and the tried and true challenge of Jenga. You wouldn’t think at first that they would go together, but they actually do if you think about it. Donkey Kong is all about maneuvering through a teetering construction tower, and Jenga requires you make your wobbly tower as high as you can. So now you can do both in Donkey Kong Jenga. How high can you get?
The Games of Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
Posted on February 10th, 2011 by
The recently released Mario Sports Mix for Wii is a collection of four arcade styled party Mario themed sports games. So in this blog, we’ll take a look at each one. Don’t think of this as a full review, though. Just my general first impressions of the game. I’m so busy right now with other things I don’t have time for a full review, but this’ll do for now, I think.
The Doctor’s Best Game(s) of 2010
Posted on February 8th, 2011 by
It’s February, you say? I can’t write a Game of the Year article unless it’s early January? Well, I have two things to say to you. First, how do you know I didn’t write this last month and am only posting it now? Second, writing a “Game of the Year” column in early January doesn’t do justice to any title that released in December. Less than one month isn’t enough time (well, for a busy person like myself) to put a new game through its paces to see how it lasts. Any Game of the Year title needs to be awarded to games that can stand the test of time. Perhaps it should be like wedding thank you notes, one has a full year after the fact to get them in the mail!
OK, so on to the “awards”. While I’m a pretty diverse gamer in some respects (I now officially own most of the main consoles and handhelds), I do shy away from a major category, Shooters. I don’t mind an action/arcade title from time to time, but I simply don’t enjoy running around trying to peg virtual people/zombies/aliens in the head with some sort of new zap-gun. If there are enough story and RPG elements, I may pick up a trigger, but in general I’m looking for something more cerebral or simply family fun-oriented than can be found in most modern shooters. Let’s start by taking a look at the best I found for each platform.
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Kirby Krafts!
Posted on February 8th, 2011 by
In Kirby’s Epic Yarn for Nintendo Wii, everything looks as if it were made out of yarn, felt, fabric, and other crafty, scrapbooking material. This inspired me to make a craft based on Kirby’s Epic Yarn, so click to read more about it and check out what I made!
Game Review: Little Big Planet 2 (PS3)
Posted on February 7th, 2011 by
I’m a bit of a quirky guy, so it is rare for a video game to surprise me by displaying humor that matches my own style. However, Little Big Planet 2 is a platformer that just exudes cuteness and humor without having to resort to bright cheery saccharine colors and shapes. Instead we’re treated to a nice little platformer about poor little Sack-boy just trying to survive in his world full of junk. I’m sure the whole idea wouldn’t hit me as hard if I had been jaded from playing the first game in the series. However, as a newcomer to the title (and the PS3 in general) I can easily state if this is the type of exclusive game content I can expect on the PS3, I’m glad I recently brought my family into the PS3 fold.
Super Bowl on Ice!
Posted on February 6th, 2011 by
BRRR! It was cold here last week in Dallas, with ice and snow and record cold temperatures! It kind of sucked because I don’t like cold weather, and because of the icy roads I had to take two days off from work (they wouldn’t give PTO to us where I work). But what really sucked was the Super Bowl was in Dallas, and was to bring all sorts of guests and business to our community. But the bad weather probably hindered that. Another thing that sucks is that the Super Bowl was right near where I live, but the tickets are so stupid expensive that a normal person could never afford to go. But there is one good thing about staying at home and watching the Super Bowl: you get to see all the funny commercials. Since I like commercials, here’s a blog all about the ads at this year’s Super Bowl!
Game Review: DC Universe Online (PS3, PC)
Posted on February 5th, 2011 by
Who doesn’t want to be a superhero? From the earliest days of role playing games, options for playing a superhero began to crop up. Once hit fantasy-themed online role playing games appeared, it was only a matter of time before the superheroes arrived as well. First was City of Heroes, which was followed a few years later by Champions (which licensed the Champions name and background from my favorite pencil and paper RPG). The newest game on the block is DC Universe Online, which is the first Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) to boast a license from one of the superhero comic giants. Yes, you can play in the same sandbox as Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and others all on your PC or PS3. I suspect catering to the PS3 resulted in fairly simple button-smashing styles of combat and a somewhat underwhelming ability to customize a character’s powers. While some games have issues at launch I found the PS3 version to be nearly unplayable, and can only recommend the PC version for superhero fans looking for a lighter-weight experience or simply have to be able to fight alongside Superman while saving the world.
Game Review: Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded (DS)
Posted on February 4th, 2011 by
The popular Kingdom Hearts game series combines Square-Enix’s beloved game characters and style mixed with timeless Disney characters and worlds. Re:coded takes place after Sora’s adventures with Donald and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. Jiminy Cricket is thumbing through the journals he wrote during their adventures, and notices a strange message that he didn’t write! King Mickey decides to digitize the journal into a computer and see if they can analyze how that message got there! But all of a sudden, strange bugs and blocks fill the screen, and they don’t look friendly. King Mickey sends a digital version of Kingdom Hearts hero Sora into the virtual journal to see if he can figure out what’s going on. Now it’s up to Data Sora to stop the bugs and solve the mystery of the secret messages!
Game Review: Mario vs Donkey Kong Mini-Land Mayhem (DS)
Posted on February 3rd, 2011 by
Mario just keeps on trucking with more titles under his toolbelt. One of my favorite franchises goes back to his roots of jumping and climbing after Donkey Kong. In the Mario vs Donkey Kong series on Nintendo handhelds, Mario (and his assistants) scamper up scaffolding and other obstacles to reach his nemesis. What I like best about the series is its puzzle-like aspect. Players are rewarded more for careful thought rather than their trigger finger. In recent years, the series has gone in for a bit of Lemmings flavor by using little toy Marios (and other toy Nintendo icons) to achieve the goals and pursue Donkey Kong to save the day. The latest incarnation, Mario vs Donkey Kong Mini-Land Mayhem continues a long trend of excellent action/puzzle gaming and serves both as a nice continuation of the series for fans, as well as a great introduction to the series for newcomers.
Game Review: PokePark Wii – Pikachu’s Adventure (Wii)
Posted on February 1st, 2011 by
If any game franchise just exudes cuteness, it has to be Pokemon. Cute little animal friends that just want to hang out with you and beat the snot out of any other critters you come across in your travels. The newest Pokemon themed game is PokePark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure. Pikachu and his friends fall down a hole and into an adventure through a Pokemon theme park. As Pikachu, explore five different zones and challenge Pokemon you meet in order to make friends and restore the park to is former glory. In a mix of exploration and minigames, PokePark makes a fun little title for younger gamers who have comfortable reading skills.
