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.
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Posted on March 30th, 2010 by
That get your attention? Anyway, this isn’t game related but it does demonstrate how phenomenally stupid censorship is. I was reading an article about pop music in 1999 and the MTV/Radio edit of Eminem’s THE REAL SLIM SHADY came up. I know the song well enough but this is what struck me. Eminem sings about how stupid it is to censor sexual stuff because kids have the Discovery channel (meaning they can watch rhino’s having sex) – I’d add that today they have the Internet, where you can’t throw a rock without hitting a picture of breasts – so kids, Eminem says, grow up not knowing what a woman’s CLITORIS is. The ironic thing? In the name of censorship, the word CLITORIS is bleeped out of the song. Thus reinforcing Eminem’s point. Irony, gotta love it! Video here: The Real Stupid Censorship.
Game Review: Playmobil: Knights (DS)
Posted on March 29th, 2010 by
Playmobil, the international toy line of playsets and figures that encourages imaginative role-play, now lets your kids pretend to be a knight on the Nintendo DS. In Playmobil: Knights, help a recently knighted beet farmer save the kingdom. When an evil warlord floods the land and turns all the king’s knights into stone, it’s up to the newly knighted Sir Beetalot to save the day!
Game Review: Shatter (PC)
Posted on March 28th, 2010 by
Some video games both suck and blow. But in the case of Shatter, a game that borrows heavily from brick breaking games like BreakOut and Arkanoid, that’s a GOOD thing! Originally a downloadable game for PS3, you can now buy it for the PC from Steam, and it’s well worth the price!
Game Review: Yoga (Wii)
Posted on March 28th, 2010 by
Learn all about Yoga and practice the stances and poses with Yoga for Nintendo Wii. Top model Anja Rubik and other in-game instructors will guide you through your training. Yoga for Wii is compatible with the Wii Balance Board, but you can also just use the Wii remote or nothing at all.
Game Review: Playmobil Circus (Wii)
Posted on March 27th, 2010 by
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up and join the circus! Playmobil, the international toy line of playsets and figures that encourages imaginative role-play, now lets your family pretend they’re in a circus on the Nintendo Wii.
Forgotten Fighters: Battle Fantasia
Posted on March 27th, 2010 by
With recent fighters like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom rocking the Wii, and upcoming brawlers like BlazBlue Portable and Super Street Fighter 4 to look forward to, it can be easy to overlook and forget some of the lesser fighting games. Recently I just picked up a little-known 2-D fighter for the Xbox 360 for only ten bucks. It’s called Battle Fantasia, and I thought I’d talk a little bit about it here because of its lively cast of characters, always a plus in a fighting game.
Game Review: Diner Dash 5: Boom! (PC)
Posted on March 26th, 2010 by
The newest Diner Dash on the menu is now available for PC (check it out at PlayFirst’s Web site). But what does the “Boom” stand for? Well, in the game, a mysterious troublemaker erases the Fat-Free Breakfast sign so it just reads “Free Breakfast” over Flo’s restaurant. A crowd of hungry early-birds bum-rushes the restaurant and causes it to collapse into rubble. BOOM! The evil contractor, Mr. Big, wants to take over the newly vacant lot, but Flo is determined to bring her food to the people. Luckily, Handyman Hal is willing to rebuild Flo’s restaurant, but in the meantime, Flo gets creative as she serves her customers outside in the big city!
Help Wanted? Want to Help? Go ahead, Help Then!
Posted on March 26th, 2010 by
Would you like to write for GamerDad? Sure, you all do. Why not? Lots of game developers, game journalists and VIPs actually read this site (I’m not kidding). This is just an idea mind you but I think it’s a good one. I’m old. 39 next month and I’m finding it harder and harder to keep up on the newest games with the bipping and the bopping and the hippity-hopping. I don’t think I’m too old to be a gamer, but I’m getting too old to keep up like I used to and should. My kids aren’t old enough to pick up some slack. This is making me much less effective than I’d like to be. And that’s just lame. Cary Woodham does a GREAT job lightening some of the load with his enthusiasm but he’s only one extremely talented guy. Hey, I’ve got some eager adults and teens here right? They buy and rent games, right? Why not let you guys contribute your opinions? Sound good? Well, here’s how we’ll do this then–
Pokemon Heart Gold & Soul Silver
Posted on March 26th, 2010 by
As a gaming expert – excuse me – as a gaming with children expert there are still a few holes in my game knowledge. I confess, Pokemon is a big one. Having only seen the TV show – which I maintain is horrible beyond measure – and being familiar with the general idea, I sort of lumped it into the Online Role Playing Game category as a game I don’t recommend because it’s a time sink, and kids do not need time sinks in their already too busy lives. (That’s probably the worst structured sentence I’ve ever written. But it’s early and I haven’t had my coffee.)
Game Review: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii)
Posted on March 25th, 2010 by
In Fragile Dreams, a new anime advventure for the Nintendo Wii, play as Seto, a teenage boy who lives in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. When the old man he lives with passes away, Seto loses the only one he knows in the world. So, armed with only a flashlight and whatever he can carry on his back, Seto sets out into the ruins of the Earth to try and find others like him, and maybe along the way he’ll reveal the mystery of what caused this catastrophe.
