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.
This Week in Games: June 7 – 13
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Posted on June 7th, 2009 by
Have you recovered from all of the E3 buzz yet? The onslaught of promises that will never meet up with the hype? It was ironic that all week on CNN I was seeing a commercial that featured a salesman teasing with a massive toy truck for a little kid then when the kid signed to buy he got a colored-on piece of paper. Anyway, this week we have a pretty reasonable set of releases, with the violent sandbox multiplatform Prototype, as well as the multiplatform games Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Virtua Tennis 2009, and Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings leading the way. more…
E3: The After Days
Posted on June 6th, 2009 by
Well, the big video game convention, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short), is finally over. I didn’t attend this year’s show, but I read enough news about it that I decided to write a blog about the things at the show that caught my interest. Of course, since my tastes in games are a little out there, I won’t be going over a lot of the big titles shown. Just the ones I like.
Game Review: Dokapon Journey (DS)
Posted on June 6th, 2009 by
As a big fan of boardgames as well as role-playing games, it was with a bit of excitement that I set out to take a look at the recent Atlus title, Dokapon Journey. My knowledge of Japanese games is limited, so I can’t tell you anything about previous incarnations (if any) of this title. Unfortunately, what I can tell you is that the game was a disappointment. There is the making of a somewhat interesting boardgame in the vein of Talisman, Return of the Heroes, and other sorts of RPG/adventure boardgames, but it fails to provide much in the way of meaningful decisions. The interface, graphics, and even the backstory are all reasonably well done, the gameplay simply results in nothing more than a kind of Candyland with lots of chrome.
Game Review: Populous DS
Posted on June 4th, 2009 by
Some may argue it should only be placed in the “God Game” genre, but I think of Populous as one of the best, very early examples of Real-Time Strategy. Published in 1989, three years before Dune II, four years before Warcraft, and five years before Command and Conquer, Populous had strategic depth but also made players think on their feet to respond to what the computer was doing in real time. I remember fondly my college days where I was raising and lowering the LEGO shaped landscape so that my followers could create large dwellings in order to reproduce and fuel my divine wrath towards the opposing deity and his followers. Amazingly, this icon of my early PC gaming days has returned in the form of a strategy game on the DS. I am admittedly looking at the game through rose colored glasses of nostalgia, but it is one of the top retro games I have played on the DS.
GamerFamily Playlist – May09
Posted on June 1st, 2009 by
Here at the GamerDad family residence (a small house by a big lake) we play games. A lot of games. I pretty much have the opposite problem you do. I never have enough time to really get into a game – gotta move on – and my kids know that dad has A LOT more games downstairs then he lets on. So lets talk about my spoiled family a bit. (Note: there’s a lot about the old Sid and Marty Kroft’s Land of the Lost too.) more…
This Week in Games: May 31 – June 6
Posted on May 31st, 2009 by
Well, now … I’m mad at the industry for messing up the release schedule by releasing one of my most anticipated games of the year a week early. So while it shows up on this week’s list, Red Faction: Guerrilla for XBOX360 and PS3 is already out, with the PC version delayed to late August. The other huge release is sequel to the mega-franchise The Sims 3 for the PC … and in an amazing move, simultaneously released for the Mac! The other big release is the innovative Knights in the Nightmare for the DS. Oh … and another Naruto game – BELIEVE I! Check out the list! more…
My Blog, My Way
Posted on May 29th, 2009 by
Just a hodgepodge blog this week, folks. Thought I’d share with you some of my recent gaming endeavors like going to the arcade auction, playing unusual games like My World, My Way, downloading gems such as PictoBits and Bubble Bobble Plus, as well as some other random junk I can think up!
State of the Heart – 5/09
Posted on May 27th, 2009 by
Hi folks, still alive thank you, in fact, I’m doing well. Twice a year, double the time a Ground Hog does so, the GamerDad emerges from his Subteranean Lair to blink in the sunlight and labor with earth, mud, and various seeds and plants. (I was doing this WAY before the new Victory Garden/whole foods fad – for some reason I feel I have to say that.) Anyway, you can look forward to a gardening article later. I know you’re waiting with a worm on your tongue (baited breath – ha!). Lets talk health and games today!
Game Review: Bonsai Barber (Wiiware)
Posted on May 26th, 2009 by
Modern technology is wonderful. If you were to tell me 10 years ago that I’d be able to download software to my console that let me aim my controller at my TV in an effort to give vegetables a superior haircut, I’d have said you were crazy. I’d have been interested, but still thought you were crazy. Here I sit today having downloaded the the unique game, Bonsai Barber, onto my Wii. It is a lighthearted game based around grooming friendly vegetables who visit your barbershop. Using standard barber tools and your Wiimote, players attempt to fix hairstyles to match patrons’ preferences. Do a good job, and they’ll tell their friends, begin to schedule appointments, and even start to send you virtual postcards to let you know they’ve been thinking of you. The game is different and has potential, but is it worth the 1000 point download?
This Week in Games: May 24 – 30
Posted on May 24th, 2009 by
Happy Memorial Day to one and all – and I hope everyone has taken a moment to appreciate some veterans! This week has one highly anticipated release … and other stuff. The big release is Infamous for the PS3, and the only other one of note is the sequel to the awful PSP game Astonishia Story, called Crimson Gem Saga. The early looks seem decent and the developers have been distancing themselves from the original, so perhaps there is hope.Check out the list! more…
