GamerDad and family 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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Dark Void Zero (DSiWare)

Dark Void is a recently released Capcom game for the big consoles, and to drum up interest for it, they did something incredibly clever: promote the game with an 8-bit DSiWare download called Dark Void Zero. I don’t have any interest in the main Dark Void game, but I’d have to say that Dark Void Zero is probably more fun, especially if you’re a classic Capcom NES fan!

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Happy Birthday Linda!

Today is Linda’s mmph birthday!  Yes, she’s mmph years old!  So, Henry, Maggie and I celebrate her today with gifts, kisses, hugs and some more adult things. We all owe her everything. Everything and more!  Love you baby!

FAST FOOD PANIC CONTEST!

FASTFOODCONTESTFAST FOOD PANIC CONTEST DEADLINE IS OVER!  THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!  WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY E-MAIL.

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Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games

imgresMy son Henry (6) is really smitten with this one and, while I don’t think it’s the best minigame collection available (it’s got nothing on Wii Sports Resort) it’s a solid party game for when you’re eyes are done bleeding from Olympic coverage.  The genius is that they kept it simple. Every minigame here, and there are a lot of them, is generally controlled by simple remote movements. Bowl to send the curling weight, if you’re playing curling, as your teammates frantically brush ahead of it as if their remotes were brooms – man that is a weird sport. Bobsledding means tilting the remote to hug the turns, hockey is simple and even skiing is quick and intuitive.

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A HEAVY Rain is Gonna Fall

Hard Heavy Rain hasn’t come out yet, I believe it’s due in late February (PS3 only), but it promises to be a violent adult kind of game. How adult? Here’s what the ESRB had to say :

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Game Review: Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes (DSi)

FOTO_BOXSo you’ve played games starring plumbers, hedgehogs, warriors, mercenaries, and maybe even a lawyer or two. But have you ever played a game starring YOU? Yes, you. Your face, your voice. Well now you can in Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, a downloadable DSiWare game for the Nintendo DSi.

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CoDMW2 – A Difficult Question

Wasif asks: I’m 15 years old and my dad is making a huge deal about me playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He even took it away after just a couple of weeks of playing it. I honestly (and i’m not leaving out any details) do not understand why. … Now that it’s gone, I’ve asked my dad for it several times and he tells me that these games are addictive and nothing more than mindless killing. I know this is because my dad is a psychiatrist and he deals with people who have addictions to this everyday. He sees people who are addicted to this game and believes that I am one of them, when I certainly am not. Can someone please help me with my dilemma?

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Game Review: Littlest Pet Shop (DSiWare)

PET2The Littlest Pet Shop toy line is a super popular collection of miniature, wide-eyed, bobble headed critters and accessories. They’ve recently expanded into online games and plush, and it’s one of the biggest toys for girls at present. And now they can have fun with their petite pets on the go with Littlest Pet Shop for DSiWare, a downloadable virtual pet simulator for the Nintendo DSi handheld.

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DSiWare Review: MySims Camera

SIMSCAMERA_BOXThe cuter, more family friendly MySims spinoffs of the regular Sims games have taken off in popularity recently. And now you can really get into the picture with MySims Camera, a downloadable photo application for your DSi.

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DS for 4 1/2?

Stephanie Asks – Do you have a recommended age for the DS lite?  My Daughter is 4 1/2 and had the leapster but seems almost bored with it.  I have heard the DS lite has many games that require reading… Are there enough games she could use to keep her attention?

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