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: Treasure World (DS)
3 Comments
Posted on July 6th, 2009 by
Have you ever heard of Geocaching? It’s a hobby that my dad and some of my little brothers are into. Basically you use a GPS device to hunt hidden treasures around the world left by other fellow Geocachers. Treasure World for DS isn’t quite like that, but it does share a few common traits with Geocaching. Both games have you hunting for treasure out in the real world using today’s technology, and you actually have to go outside to find it! But in Treasure World’s case, you pick up Wi-Fi hotspots to unlock virtual treasures in this very unique treasure hunting game.
Game Review: Little League World Series Baseball 2009 (Wii, DS)
Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by
You know what’s strange? I find baseball a very boring sport to watch both on TV and live. But whenever one of my little brothers or cousins ever had a Little League game, I would never pass up the chance to go watch them play. The kids were always more entertaining than the pros. It was great seeing my little brothers out there on the field having fun and learning valuable lessons on teamwork without too much pressure to win (or make money). And now you can enjoy all the fun of Little League with Little League World Series Baseball 2009 on the Nintendo Wii and DS.
Fight Night Round 4
Posted on July 1st, 2009 by
I was impressed with Fight Night, I complained a lot but liked Fight Night 2 (I was told the reason there wasn’t clinching was because it was impossible to implement in a fun way) Fight Night Round 3 added clinching, and it was fun, and I liked the game. But Fight Night Round 4 is the best of the series and among the best fighting games ever made.
GamerDad is 6!
Posted on June 30th, 2009 by
I’ve had too many occasions over the past year or so to list my accomplishments here at GamerDad. I won’t do that this time – let’s keep it simple. Happy 6th Anniversary to GamerDad: Gaming with Children. Here’s to the future, however it goes!
Slimer Ate 50 Hot Dogs!
Posted on June 30th, 2009 by
Hey folks, just wanted to let you all know that I may not be blogging as much as I used to. I just got a new part time job in the extermination business. My other co-workers at my new job keep calling me ‘rookie,’ the receptionist ignores me, and the pay’s lousy. But in these hard economic times, you gotta do what you gotta do. Plus, aside from helping an old plumber friend clear some pests out of an old mansion, I have next to NO experience in this kind of work. Honestly, I’m just following in the footsteps of one of my idols, a hungry, round, yellow fellow who’s a bit of a ghost buster himself. So who ya gonna call? That’s right, me! I’m a Ghostbuster now, and I’m ready to believe you.
Ghostbusters – PS3/Xbox360
Posted on June 29th, 2009 by
Ghostbusters will always be special to me. It was a kid-flick from an era when a PG-13 movie could have overt sexual jokes (remember the female ghost who, during a montage, appears above Dan Ackroyd when he’s in bed? She hovers above him, turns invisible, and then you see his pants unbuckling and his reaction helped me understand so many things about adulthood) (oh, and that whole Keymaster/Gatekeeper thing). I was 12. It was my birthday. My friends blindfolded me until we got to the theater. A wonderful day! Well, Atari released a game and it’s billed as – and almost lives up to the original film (Ghosterbusters 2 be damned!). Find out the “almost” here: more…
Unplugged: Dominion, the German Game of the Year
Posted on June 29th, 2009 by
Just this morning, the most prestigious boardgame award of the year was awarded to the card game Dominion. The award is the Spiel des Jahres (German for game of the year) and nominees are announced each May with the actual award presented every year at this time. In Germany, boardgames are a common gathering point for families and friends and games recognized with the Spiel des Jahres (SdJ for short) are known for their uniqueness, fun, and appropriateness for families to play together. Winning the award virtually guarantees huge sales in Germany for the base game and then future expansions are almost always added on to take advantage of the increased interest. This year’s winner, Dominion, is easily my favorite game of the past year and I’m glad to see it win the award. Congratulations to the designer, Donald X. Vaccarino and publisher, Rio Grand Games. Both are from the United States, so that bodes well for the domestic boardgame industry. Clearly the German judges like the game, but how does it play?
This Week in Games: June 28 – July 4th
Posted on June 28th, 2009 by
Welcome back to the latest edition of This Week in Games. Before getting to the games, I wanted to let you all know that this will be my last edition of This Week In Games. I wanted to thank Andrew for all the great years … and invite you to read my goodbye message at the end of the article. But for now … to the games!
We have a relatively solid release schedule that is full-up with movie tie-ins, including Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. I know our family has been anticipating the new Harry Potter movie since it was delayed last fall, and the video game tie-ins have generally been fairly solid if unspectacular. As for the new Ice Age … my expectation after watching a pair of dreadful ‘exclusive clips’ this week is that regardless of how bad the game is, it will take little effort to be better than the movie! more…
Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds Orchestra Concert
Posted on June 25th, 2009 by
One of the many things the Final Fantasy series of role playing video games is known for is its sweeping and memorable music scores-perfect for an orchestral setting. In fact, on tour right now in the US is an orchestra concert featuring the music of Final Fantasy with videos and scenes from each of the games. I attended the concert in Dallas last weekend at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Here’s how it all went down:
Guitar Zero – U R 2 out of Touch
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by
Wait! Even if you don’t like Prince I’m making a point here about ALL kinds of games! 
I’m a Prince fan, and before you scoff one of the main reasons is because I’ve seen him in concert. The man IS a Guitar Hero and not only that, he’s a Rock Band too. He plays every instrument on his albums. I saw and heard him do a very credible Zeppelin medley live here in Milwaukee and I swear to you – he no longer looked like a purple weirdo. He looked like Jimmy Page. Sounded like him too. But, man is he out of touch! Come in for the how and the why:
