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.
Game Review: Sushi Go Round (DS)
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Posted on April 7th, 2010 by
Run your very own sushi bar in Sushi-Go-Round for DS and Wii (DS version reviewed here). It’s based on the popular casual online PC game from Miniclip. Similar to other restaurant themed games like Diner Dash and Fast Food Panic, follow sushi recipes and roll up the right ingredients to keep your fish-craving customers happy.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Posted on April 6th, 2010 by
I’m still getting mail on this game and the message board is REALLY interesting so I’m reposting it: Should CoD: MW 2 be rated M? The release of this game marks a turning point in my life. An alarming amount of my mail, and a few of my questions on radio and at What They Play.com, concerned Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Now I get to give the same, or similar, answers for this one. Do you think your kids are ready to handle an M-rated game featuring not only a new instantly infamous controversy but all the old controversies from last time too? Is it harmful to a teenager? 13+? Lets talk about it.
Napoleon Total War – A Rant on Strategy
Posted on April 6th, 2010 by
What happened to me? I grew up in the 80’s-90’s, I played my fair share of “my hex beat up your hex” strategy games. Games where we had to imagine most of how things work and games that most players probably never understood fully. These were almost absurdly complex games and games built then and called “casual” (like, say, Panzer or Fantasy General) would be considered complex now. I loved Civilization 2 so much I was able to beat it 10 times out of 10 on Deity level (note this doesn’t imply brilliance so much as learning everything enough to exploit the hell out of the Howitzer). My point is, I never shrank from reviewing a strategy game. Has growing older made me stupid? Having kids maybe? Or is it having less freetime? I just downloaded Napoleon Total War and boy is my brain tired.
Game Review: Cheer We Go (DS)
Posted on April 6th, 2010 by
Rah! Rah! Rah! Cheer We Go for Nintendo DS is a music and rhythm action game with pom-poms, jumps, and cheers. But will it make you jump for joy or sit on the sidelines? Read on to find out:
Game Review: Squishy Tank (DS)
Posted on April 5th, 2010 by
OK, first of all, just look at that box art! Seriously, LOOK AT IT! Isn’t that the most awesome box art you’ve ever seen? And with a title like Squishy Tank, you know it’s going to be a good game. Squishy Tank is a touch screen based action puzzler for the Nintendo DS.
Game Review: Bakugan: Battle Trainer (DS)
Posted on April 4th, 2010 by
As they say in the business, Bakugan is ‘hot’ right now. More than 55 million Bakugan toys were sold in 2008, meaning that every four seconds; one Bakugan toy is bought in the US. Just like any other popular playthings, Bakugan has its own cartoon show as well, and it’s the top game for boys ages 6 to 12. So what IS Bakugan, anyway? Well, it’s like a cross between a collectible trading card game such as Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon, mixed with the classic playground game of…marbles?!? Yup, marbles! Marbles that turn into…monsters! No wonder why it’s so popular with the kids. And now young fans can enjoy their Bakugan in a whole new way with Battle Trainer on the DS.
Easter Bunny
Posted on April 4th, 2010 by
She knows. SHE KNOWS! Maggie (9) asked me, yesterday, if the Easter Bunny was real. I’d long decided that I wouldn’t lie if asked this question directly. She did. I told her and then as she ran upstairs crying I followed her. She then extrapolated Santa and yelled “There’s nothing to believe in!” I soothed her and talked about love, and heaven, and the people we miss waiting for us and then I reminded her that now she got to be a BIG girl and help make the magic for her little brother. That did the trick! So last night she wrote the letter from the bunny, she helped us fill the baskets and then she trotted off to bed while we hid the eggs. (She still wanted to do that part.) My little girl is getting older and shedding some of her irrational beliefs. I’m sad, but very proud of her too.
Henry & God of War III
Posted on April 2nd, 2010 by
I got God of War III yesterday, a game that Henry (7) has never heard of, and he got mad that I wasn’t going to play it until he went to bed. “Can I watch?” No. See? It has an M-rating and it’s scary and violent. “Come on Dad, it’s fake violence, nobody gets hurt!” I didn’t allow it but that’s some good logic for a kid who’s understanding of what I do consists mainly of – “There are a lot of games here!” and “Daddy is friends with the Mario people.”
Game Review: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable (PSP)
Posted on April 2nd, 2010 by
2009’s most impressive new 2-D fighter, BlazBlue, is now available on-the-go via the PSP. It has everything the main console versions had, and then some. But is it worth buying the game again just to have it wherever you go? Read on to find out:
I give up
Posted on April 1st, 2010 by
I’ve been doing GamerDad for almost 7 years now and I’ve been getting a lot of criticism from parents and places like the ERSB. And I’m now on their payroll. So, lets make this easy. This blog is going to ONLY talk about my family and parenting. I declare the ratings system perfect. Since nobody is paying me under the table to support gaming or nuance any more. I say follow the ratings and help support any law that makes it binding. Parents should go to jail for letting their kids minds get warped by videogames. It’s just time to stop taking bribes and pretending games are okay for anyone. Come on, their impact on society is HUGE. I fear video games exact a price from society, for some it’s the ULTIMATE price.
