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: CID The Dummy (Wii)
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Posted on July 27th, 2009 by
Anyone my age remember the seat belt public safety ads in the 80’s that had the two talking Crash Test Dummies? And like the rampant commercialism that went on back then, those Crash Test Dummies went on to have their own toy line, cartoon, and even a video game! Even though he’s not related to those guys, there’s a new Dummy on the block and he’s crashing on the Wii.
Game Review: Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
Posted on July 26th, 2009 by
Wii Sports Resort releases today (Sunday) and if you have a Wii system, run (don’t walk) down to your local game vendor and pick up a copy. Many people I know consider the console pack-in Wii Sports title to still be one of the best around for family friendly pick-up and play fun. Wii Sports Resort takes that style of game and kicks it up another level with even more games and options as well as incorporating the new MotionPlus attachment for even better control. If you had any interest at all in the original Wii Sports, you owe it to yourself (and your family) to check out Wii Sports Resort. I’ve had the pleasure to take the game through its paces in the past week. It has dominated my limited play time and I believe it will be my go-to game for weeks to come.
The Gaming Eras of Bit Boy!! (WiiWare)
Posted on July 25th, 2009 by
So as best as I can tell, Bit Boy, or Kubi as he’s sometimes called, is a little pixel who has to go back in time to save his little pixel friends in this new WiiWare downloadable game. Gameplay is similar to Pac-Man, as you run around mazes collecting Bit Boy’s pixel pals while avoiding roving monsters. But the big gimmick in the Bit Boy!! game is that each world’s levels are designed like the different ‘eras’ of video game history. So the mazes progress from blocky 2-D to detailed 3-D. Let’s take a tour of the worlds of Bit Boy!!
CardioGram Kids
Posted on July 24th, 2009 by
I recieved the following and even though I normally don’t do things like this, I figured it was important enough – crucial even – to share it with you. Especially given that I personally suffer from ADHD and Heart Problems. That’s what this is about – ADHD and Heart Problems.
Ask GD: Are These Games Worse than Those Games?
Posted on July 24th, 2009 by
Zack has a question about whether or not he should be allowed to play a bunch of games. Here’s GamerDad’s answer!
Game Review: Elite Forces: Unit 77 (DS)
Posted on July 23rd, 2009 by
Take some action, add strategy, mix with a dash of exploration and you might create something like the top-down team exploration-shooter that is Elite Forces: Unit 77. Players manage a team of four unique individuals as you explore a somewhat confined mission area, discovering traps and enemy agents along the way. A bit too slow paced to be a pure action game, it has too many real time elements to be considered a strategy title. If I had to describe the game to an old-school videogame player, I would consider it a top-down perspective of GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64, but with a team of four instead of a single character.
Unplugged: D&D, A Year in Review
Posted on July 22nd, 2009 by
With the new version of Dungeons and Dragons (4th Edition) revealed last year, there has been the expected line of products released by Wizards of the Coast to supplement the game. Some are targeted at all players, while others are primarily for Dungeon Masters (the folks who put together and referee the game every session). Here’s a quick rundown of supplements released over the past year with a few comments to fill you in on what’s included and who might benefit from them. If you just want the best of the best, feel free to read my previous article going into detail on my favorites for the year: D&D Insider Character Builder, the Players Handbook 2, Dungeon Delve, and the Monster Manual 2.
The Sims 3
Posted on July 21st, 2009 by
Has it been that long since the Sims 2 came out? Heck, I’m oldschool enough to have reviewed the first one (I was delighted that games seemed to moving in a more mainstream direction). Well, after countless Sims add-on packs we’re back to the simple life. No pets, no genies, no bizarre careers (oh yes, I’m sure those are coming), but better graphics, a smarter game overall, and that same magic. It’s an interactive dollhouse and just because you might not like it, doesn’t mean it’s not good. And man, have I got a story to tell you! I’ll try not to write it in Simglish, or whatever they’re calling Sim-gibberish these days.
Unplugged: D&D, Highlights of the Year
Posted on July 20th, 2009 by
The newest incarnation of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game (4th edition) has been out for just over a year. Reviews were fairly mixed at first, but most of the furor of over changes to the game have died down. Die hard fans of the old system (3.5 edition) have moved on to keep their holy flame lit in support of their familiar system, but most players have moved on and begun to embrace the new version. Wizards of the Coast has succeeded in their attempt to overhaul the game by making it easier to learn, quicker to play, and better balanced for character options. My initial reservation to the new system was a concern over the lack of variety in player characters. One fighter-type was pretty much like another and there was very little room to customize to make a unique character. Fortunately, material published throughout the year has done much to improve the situation. Follow along with me and I’ll give you a virtual tour of a year of releases, giving you the skinny on what books are best, and which ones you might as well avoid. Today we’ll look at my top picks of the year, and tomorrow we’ll briefly hit every major release of the year.
Game Review: Science Papa (Wii)
Posted on July 19th, 2009 by
Remember TV shows like Bill Nye: The Science Guy, Beakman’s World, and Mr. Wizard (for us old folks) who made learning about science fun? Well now you can make science fun on the Wii with Activision’s new video game: Science Papa.
