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.
It Takes an iVillage
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Posted on March 13th, 2009 by
A little career update for you – NBC/iVillage are hiring me to help them out with some sound parental advice. The fee is right, the deadline is harsh, but it looks like fun work. More later!
GTA4: The Lost and Damned
Posted on March 13th, 2009 by
I’m a pretty big fan of Rockstar’s work. Bully is a game that should be checked out by any teen, and Grand Theft Auto is the pinnacle of, well, the genre best known for Grand Theft Auto. Given the overt sex, gore, violence, drugs, crime, murder, car-jacking, cop shooting, bystanding smashing, other gang killing, corrupt politician bribing, awesome music selection listen … er… listen to-er… okay, I’m done. I’ve been playing The Lost and Damned and boy are my morals tired!
Sesame Street on the Skids?
Posted on March 12th, 2009 by
Say it ain’t so Grover! Yes, the recession is apparently affecting everyone’s favorite urban environment … lets hope it doesn’t come to this picture (from GoogleImages). Here’s the article and please Grover, please, quit smoking!
Idol Thoughts – Top 13: Michael Jackson Week
Posted on March 12th, 2009 by
I happened upon a few popular polls regarding American Idol contestants over the last few days that had me predicting something for tonight. When asked who was there favorite, it wasn’t any of the anointed ones – not Danny or Adam or Lil; it wasn’t the obvious judge -picks of Jasmine or Megan. It was Anoop … the one they grudgingly let on to the Wild Card round add-ons, and have been obviously annoyed with since day one. So it was obvious they would be overly harsh with him. Another poll talked about ‘most over-rated’ and guess who won THAT title? Jasmine – one of the judges pet projects. So it was clear that they would be very careful about what they said to her so she would sail through. That doesn’t sound fair? Well, it is a fact of life made more obvious than ever this year because this … is American Idol Season 8!
Afrosamurai
Posted on March 11th, 2009 by
AaaFrooooe! Heard of the Afro-Samurai? Bet your kids have. He’s the puffy-haired, cigarillo smoking, sword swing, black samurai. He’s got discipline, skill, a bunch of enemies, a strange gray-haired hedonist for a “sidekick” and, of course, the fabled Number Two headband.
Star Wars – Memory Lane
Posted on March 11th, 2009 by
A Long Time Ago (1977).
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away (Irvine, CA).
The theater was dark and kind of scary, but my father’s large presence nearby was comforting. Just 45 minutes before that moment I had been watching the Donny & Marie variety show and waiting for bedtime. My dad took me, not my brother — just me, away from the house. more…
Game Review: The King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match (PS2)
Posted on March 10th, 2009 by
Street Fighter IV isn’t the only brawler on the block! SNK Playmore’s favorite The King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match is now available on the PlayStation 2. Now, you may be thinking, “Why buy this when it’s already on another KOF Collection?” Well, the version on that collection is the arcade one, while Ultimate Match is optimized for home consoles with extra options, characters, and other goodies. And most KOF fans I’ve talked to say that 98 is one of the best ones. Plus you can’t beat the price: 20 bucks.
Who Watches Saturday Morning Watchmen?
Posted on March 9th, 2009 by
This has been around a while but I just caught the parody of both 80’s Saturday Morning TV shows (a lost tradition) and the Watchmen (note Rosrchach playing with doggies). Really funny stuff.
This Week in Games: March 8 – 14
Posted on March 8th, 2009 by
Wait a second here … after three weeks in a row, I’m beginning to think that the game industry is starting to ‘get it’ and spread their releases around the year more! Well, whether or not it is true (I still expect a fall deluge), this is yet another week of strong releases. The XBOX360 and PS3 get the hotly anticipated and highly controversial Resident Evil 5 while the PSP gets Mana Khemia: Student Alliance, the Wii gets MadWorld, and there is a decent list for every other platform. Well, except that there looks to be a massive amount of ‘shovelware’ for the Wii and DS. Check out the list! more…
Preview – Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
Posted on March 8th, 2009 by
One of the greatest things about the original Neverwinter Nights was the ability to craft your own complete role-playing adventures with relative ease. This has led to a large body of modules that rival commercial games, and was eventually exploited by Atari in the form of several ‘Premium Modules’. Neverwinter Nights 2 also features a large module toolset, though it is more cumbersome to use, was released in a less than optimal state, and has taken longer for developers to craft new modules with. Very soon, though, the first official ‘Adventure Pack’ will be released – Mysteries of Westgate from Ossian Studios. I will be reviewing that module later, but had a few thoughts on it – and also wanted to highlight the impending release. more…
