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: PDC World Championship Darts (Wii, DS)
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Posted on August 26th, 2009 by
Darts, the favored pastime of bars and rec rooms everywhere is now a video game on the Nintendo Wii and DS. But does this virtual dart game hit the bulls-eye mark? Read and find out:
Saints Row
Posted on August 25th, 2009 by
How about that Saints Row? That good for the shorties, yo?
Game Reviews: Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles & Math Workout (DS)
Posted on August 24th, 2009 by
School is starting up soon, and if your kids need some brushing up on their math and thinking skills, there are plenty of Nintendo DS games that can help. Two of them are Challenge Me: Logic Brain Puzzles and Challenge Me: Math Workout. But do these games really make learning fun? Read on to find out:
Wolfenstein Again
Posted on August 24th, 2009 by
Wolfenstein has a longer, more glorious, past than most people think. It did singlehanded launch the 3D shooter craze still alive and kicking today, it was one of the first opportunities to kick the Nazi’s in the butt, it also gave us the most badass Polish hero ever, it also existed as a fun top-down strategy shooter back in the 80’s. Now Activision and iD have brought it back – and kids are going to want it.
GenCon 2009 Report – Gamer Boardgames
Posted on August 24th, 2009 by
What is a gamer boardgame? My previous GenCon report covered family boardgames, games that are great to play with younger kids, or informally with friends who drop by for dinner. Gamer games are slightly more complex and tend to last a bit longer (an hour or two).
GenCon 2009 – A Photo Essay
Posted on August 22nd, 2009 by
Two reports down, two to go. No additional posts today, but feel free to head on over to Boardgame News to check out my photo essay on the convention. I’ll be back next week to finish up with coverage of the more advanced boardgames and then wind up with an overview of collectible gaming, video games, and the just plain strange at this year’s GenCon.
Cary’s 2009 Summer Movie Round Up
Posted on August 21st, 2009 by
Well, summer is wrapping up, and along with it wraps up the summer blockbuster movie season. I saw quite a few movies this past summer, so I figured I’d give out my brief impressions and opinions on them. Hey, you have a better idea for a blog topic? (I’m just joking). Anyway, here’s what movies I saw. Oh, and if you don’t want to wade through my entire long winded blog, but want to know about some good movies to take the whole family, just look for the paragraphs highlighted in green.
GenCon 2009 Report – Family Gaming
Posted on August 21st, 2009 by
In the past few years, GenCon has made a concerted effort to appeal to a broader audience than the stereotypical gamer geek. They have a areas set aside for kids to play boardgames, trips to the local museums and movie showings for gamer spouses, there’s even a giant highway billboard I see every day on the way to and from the convention that advertises GenCon as a family vacation destination. For the most part, I think they are succeeding. Even in the past five years that I have attended, I have noticed a significant shift in both the family-friendly offerings and a much larger family contingent of attendees. As I’m a big boardgaming fan, I managed to find more information on boardgames than can fit in a single article. So today I’ll focus on games and companies that are family-friendly. Next time we’ll cover boardgames that are cut out more suitable for enthusiastic gamers.
GenCon 2009 Report – Role Playing Games
Posted on August 20th, 2009 by
GenCon has come and gone once again in Indianapolis, leaving attendees with a bit less sleep, a bit more crowded game rooms, and a bit lighter in the wallet. However, most can claim to be satiated for the moment. GenCon is four days of concentrated gaming in one of the oldest and largest game-focused conventions in the US. I was able to attend for two days and spent most of my time roaming the large dealer floor, checking out the upcoming games. Started as an offshoot of TSR (the original Dungeons and Dragons company), GenCon has a strong role-playing presence in addition to the large number of boardgame and slightly fewer electronic gaming companies. For today, I’ll focus on the role playing game news that I found most interesting. In future articles, I’ll cover the electronic and the boardgame news from the show.
Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay (PC, WiiWare)
Posted on August 20th, 2009 by
When we last left Guybrush Threepwood: Mighty PirateTM, he had narrowly escaped the mystic winds of Flotsam Island, as well as the mad doctor who wanted his voodoo-cursed hand. But, the pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay has boarded his ship en route to rescue Guybrush’s wife Elaine. A swashbuckling battle ensues, and Morgan chops off Guybrush’s cursed hand, leaving him with a ‘handy’ hook. Now, setting sail for the Jerkbait Islands, Guybrush encounters a group of androgynous Mer-Folk, who task him with finding three mystic artifacts. These artifacts can lead him to a magical voodoo sponge that can soak up the Pox of LeChuck that Guybrush has unwittingly released, which is infecting pirates all over the Caribbean. But can Guybrush find them all before a group of nasty infected pirates completely take over the Mer-Folks’ home of Spinner Cay?
