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: Sam & Max Save the World (Xbox LIVE)
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Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by
Sam & Max aren’t your regular police force…they’re the Freelance Police. Sam is a no-nonsense dog detective and his pal Max is a hyperkinetic rabbity thing. For more than 20 years they’ve been serving their brand of justice on the pages of underground comic books, on a Saturday morning cartoon, and in some popular computer adventure games. Now they’re ready to take on Xbox Live with all six hilarious episodes of their Season One adventures from the PC and Wii.
Red Faction: Guerilla? T-Teen?
Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by
I literally yawned when someone here asked me about Red Faction: Guerilla. I yawned, which is an awful thing to do about something that took years off the developers lives to… er… develop, so when it arrived I looked at the M. Learned that it’s a “sandbox” game (do whatcha want, when ya want) where you can blow up buildings. Not knock them down like Far Cry and not blow holes through them (like Bad Company). Here you can do “demolitions!” I normally don’t like these kinds of games – unless they’re named “Grand Theft Something” mainly because they demand a time investment I’m usually not prepared to make. I like simple stories – these kinds of games are recreation to me. Well, I’m glad I stuck it out. Here’s why . . .
This Week in Games: June 21 – 27
Posted on June 21st, 2009 by
The summer blockbuster movie season is in full swing, and that means we are seeing more and more movie tie-ins. This week it is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a movie dominated by CGI robots and the kid from Even Stevens but whose media campaign spent more time on Megan Fox. The game is out on every platform, and as happened last time also gets TWO DS releases – one for Autobots and the other for Decepticons. That is what we call the Pokemon factor … and it seemed to work last time, as there was just enough differentiation to make it worth getting both if you liked them. more…
A Father’s Day Face-Off
Posted on June 21st, 2009 by
In the past few weeks there have been several new sport related titles on the Wii, several of which tout new, improved controls through the use of the MotionPlus peripheral which plugs into the base of the Wiimote. In honor of Father’s Day, I thought take a look at some of these new sports titles to see how they measure up. Of course, since it is all about the competition, we’ll have to have the new titles go up against old, established ones in a head to head match for dominance on the Wii system.
Happy Father’s Day! Video Games My Dad Likes:
Posted on June 20th, 2009 by
Happy Father’s Day! And so, in honor of that, this article is all about my dad’s favorite video games. Now, if you asked him directly which video games he likes, he probably wouldn’t say too much. As the family grows and changes and new commitments arise, my dad is just too busy to try and remember all the games he’s enjoyed playing in the past. Luckily, I have a pretty good memory and I know which games he likes. So I guess I should rephrase and say that this article is all about the games I REMEMBER my dad playing and enjoying! Have fun!
Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream (Wii) Interview
Posted on June 19th, 2009 by
Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream is an upcoming fishing game on the Wii from Natsume, and Gaming With Children was able to interview one of the developers!
Munchables Wii
Posted on June 18th, 2009 by
Lunchables? No thanks. Forbidden in the GD house. Yet, in a world filled with virtual violence and mayhem comes a game that asks youngsters to cruelly eat the enemy. Good thing the enemy are evil possessed vegetables. Munchables is for the Wii and it’s from NAMCO/BANDAI which means the game is bound to be clever and quirky, and it is. Starting with the pun-filled intro (alien pirates are empowering veggies to take over the planet Star-Ving) and then the soft-serveseque “plops” that come from the back of your character which the game calls “orbs.” In fact, I’m betting the translation to English has softened a lot of the gastro-humor – would the ESRB give an E-10 because of poop jokes? Maybe.
Ask GD – Wargames
Posted on June 18th, 2009 by
A parent of a 12-year old has given in and bought her son those violent 3D shooter war games. And Xbox Live too. Now she’s wondering what kind of parent she is. GamerDad tells her honestly, forthrightly and directly!
Ask GD – An Impossible Task?
Posted on June 17th, 2009 by
Got another parent (and a seperate teenage – note: seperate teenager note not reprinted here) reader with one of those forehead smacking good ideas. But is it right for GamerDad?
RPGs, Old and New – Two RPGs, a quick Review
Posted on June 17th, 2009 by
I’ve been spending some quality time with my new DSi lately playing through games of a favorite genre, the role playing game. However, that genre is quite broad and can often be placed into two camps, what I call old-school RPGs (as could be found in the 80s and 90s on computers) and ones commonly found on modern console systems often made in Japan, sometimes abbreviated jRPGs. While playing through The Dark Spire and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier . Even the length of the names gives you a clue as to which is which. The Dark Spire is an homage to old-school RPGs while Super Robot Taisen is through and through jRPG. Both games have their advantages and disadvantages, but I more often found myself drawn to The Dark Spire.
