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: Junior Brain Trainer (DS)
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Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by
Junior Brain Trainer is an educational brain-training game for elementary school-aged children. It teaches early math, reading, and English skills, and it’s like having your very own school workbook right on your Nintendo DS.
Hardware Review: Leapster 2
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by
A long time ago, I was asked to review the Leapster handheld video game system from Leapfrog. It had recently been released to target the 4-8 year old bracket and I was supposed to check out some of the educational-oriented games that worked with the system. I was pleasantly surprised to find them both entertaining (well, for the right age group) and fairly educational. Since that time, I continue to be impressed at how Leapfrog manages to produce quality products that are both fun to play and contain educational components. Fast forward to the present, and Leapfrog now has a Leapster 2 system available. How does it stack up? Compatible with all previous Leapster games, it has a few hardware and software improvements that make getting the newer model a smart move for anyone looking to invest in one.
Game Review: Junior Classic Games (DS)
Posted on December 1st, 2009 by
Junior Classic Games is a selection of familiar activities for early elementary school-aged children. It’s like having your very own activity book right in your Nintendo DS.
Disney Sing It: Pop Hits
Posted on December 1st, 2009 by
ALL PLATFORMS. Karaoke music games are well represented and since we no longer have to deal with the garbage that was “cover” songs – we have the real artists – the song list is a make or break proposition. Here’s the list for DISNEY Sing It. See if you know any of them. See if your kids know any of them. There’s a version that comes with a microphone too:
Bayonetta Demo: What to Expect
Posted on November 29th, 2009 by
This week, on Thursday, December 3, Sega is releasing a demo version of their highly anticipated game: Bayonetta for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. The full game will be out early next year, but I got a chance to try out the demo a little early, so here’s a sneak peek on what you’ll see in the trial game next week.
Unplugged: 2009 Holiday Boardgame Guide
Posted on November 27th, 2009 by
Since 2003, I’ve been taking a look at some of the best boardgames have to offer and serving up my recommendations to folks at this site. While video games have made great strides providing more social games, boardgames have always been an excellent way for friends or family to get together and enjoy a common experience. Boardgames also have an advantage over video games because they don’t go out of style due to changes in technology. Games from that first 2003 holiday guide are just as enjoyable today as they were six years ago. But to keep things “fresh” here are a few more recent titles that may be just the thing to get for your special people this holiday season.
Thanksgiving ’09
Posted on November 26th, 2009 by
Happy Thanksgiving to all! It’s T-Day, which means Linda and the kids are delivering meals for elderly shut-ins (yep, s’what she does, bless her). This is GamerDad’s favorite holiday because of the food, family, friends, fun and that whole heart thingie a while back. Today – and friday (my mom is hosting today, so we can be with my ailing grandmother and Linda LOVES to cook so on Friday we’re having friends at our table) – means football, and a great time for gaming, or not gaming at all. Here’s a list of what my family is playing, including yours truly. So enjoy the eats, don’t drink too much and stretch out to let the fabulous food digest:
Cary’s Koopa Kid Day Care
Posted on November 25th, 2009 by
Big news, folks! I own my very own day care center now. I’m taking care of eight kids! But they’re all from the same family! Their dad is a real tyrant, though, but he said that if I watched his children, he’d help me kidnap Princess Zelda. See, Link would always suspect Ganon, but never me! Muwa ha ha haaa! OK, so this is just a silly way to introduce my favorite part of New Super Mario Bros. Wii: the return of the Koopa Kids! And this whole blog is dedicated to them. It’s a little silly, but a little silliness is OK every once in a while!
Game Review: Diner Dash (Xbox LIVE)
Posted on November 25th, 2009 by
With Thanksgiving upon us and the holidays right around the corner, there’s going to be a lot of eating, serving food, waiting on people, and cleaning up after them. So why not get some practice in with the Xbox Live version of Diner Dash, based on the popular online PC game.
Boardgames for the Video Gamer
Posted on November 24th, 2009 by
While any tried and true electronic gamer may have their holiday game lists already picked out, what if you wanted to try to expand their horizons with a gift that would move them out from in front of the screen and bring them a bit more face to face interactivity with other folks? As a big fan of games of all types, here’s a short list of candidate boardgames designed to fit within the gaming choices of any given type of electronic gamer.
