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: TrackMania DS
Add Comment
Posted on March 6th, 2009 by
In a week or two, Atlus will be coming out with the US release of TrackMania DS. I got a chance to play with the game and found a somewhat simple racing game that was greatly improved through the judicious use of several genre-bending features. In addition to standard racing, there are platforming, puzzle, and even freeform track design modes.
Idol Thoughts – Wild Card Night!
Posted on March 5th, 2009 by
My judge-manipulation-meter is totally pegged and my cynicism is so great it feels like it is leaking out of my ears. That is because we are at the point in the show where the judges and producers, having failed through manipulation of songs and arrangement and coaching and order and commentary to place all of their personal pet-choices … now get to trot them out once more mixed in with some second-chance cannon fodder before picking who they wanted anyway. That is because this … is American Idol!
Idol Thoughts: Top 36 Part 3
Posted on March 5th, 2009 by
All I could think after last week was … is this actually going to happen; are we going to really watch this show this week after the last two weeks went from terrible to brutal? Well, since I’m writing this I guess you have your answer! Tuesday night we were back to our usual time slot, but the rest of the show – from limited time in the ‘red room’ to highlighting family members in the audience – remained pretty much the same. Once again, the odds were stacked against each contestant as the majority were performing for the final time on the Idol stage. And once again what the judges said seemed more in sync with some pre-scribed notes than what was actually happening on stage, but that isn’t surprising, because this … is American Idol!
Call of Duty World at War
Posted on March 4th, 2009 by
Call of Duty World at War, and its appropriateness are the most frequent questions I get for Ask GamerDad at WhatTheyPlay.com (a new one is coming, promise). The reason why is simple, this is a series with pedigree AND this is a series the kids like. The only problem is, it was definitely made for adults and adults only. Here’s why –
A Childhood without Television
Posted on March 4th, 2009 by
Another computer? Another computer. See that tiny thing to the right? That’s the Dell Studio Hybrid. That’s a tiny PC. And buying one is going to save me over $1000 a year. I have a big screen LCD in my living room and my basement office. During my long heart attack recovery (also known as 2008) I spent most of my time gaming downstairs. Computer gaming, Xbox 360 gaming, watching TV (Hulu.com), watching movies and reading the Internet. Cable TV became something Linda would have on upstairs, but I realized, almost everything she watched could be seen on the Internet. I have so many computers and online devices, I have a nice Wifi Network, and I’m paying for Road Runner Turbo. “Linda,” I said gently (such things must be handled gently). “How about we cancel cable TV?”
Street Fighter IV
Posted on March 2nd, 2009 by
Sorry I’ve been MIA for a bit but – well, Street Fighter IV came out and I’m only human. See, Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior hit arcades while I was just going about leaving High School. Arcades had become passe, most had already closed, and most people who played coin-ops (which were still superior to home console games) had to suffer the din of bowling, disco skating, miniature golfing, go-carting and giant furry animatronic rat-things warbling bad folk music and hocking cheap pizza – deep breath – in order to have the honor of playing that old Galaga machine or the latest in side scrolling beat-uppery.
This Week in Games: March 1 – 7
Posted on March 1st, 2009 by
No need to change the headline this week as we see more major releases, including some hotly anticipated exclusives! The XBOX360 gets the hotly anticipated strategy game Halo Wars while the PSP gets Phantasy Star Portable, and a decent list for every other platform. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that there are five new games out for the PS2 this week! Check out the list! more…
Idol Thoughts: Top 36 Part 2
Posted on March 1st, 2009 by
Another week, another three hours resulting in three more finalists making it to the top 12. Things were done a bit differently this time – performance night was moved to Wednesday due to the Presidential address, which puts off my schedule as well! Also, the overall format changed to include less interaction with the families of the singers – rather than sitting in the ‘red room’ (red because of the Coca Cola stuff plastered everywhere), they sat in the audience and glared at Simon whenever he said anything bad about their son or daughter or wife or friend. Which was often. Because this … is American Idol!
Game Review: Blue Dragon Plus (DS)
Posted on February 28th, 2009 by
Blue Dragon was one of the Xbox 360’s first beloved role playing games. Now you can play the sequel on your Nintendo DS. Same characters? Yup. Same settings? Yup. Same music? Yup. Same gameplay? Nope! While the first Blue Dragon game was a typical Japanese turn-based battles RPG, the DS sequel is a portable-friendly strategy RPG, similar to other titles like Heroes of Mana or Final Fantasy Tactics.
Meet Melodie
Posted on February 26th, 2009 by
Meet Melodie (it’s video and you will need sound). She’s 1-year old and I’m worried she might start her own blog and put me out of business! The video shows a familiar scene. A daughter, sippy cup, bib, a father, and flash cards. Video game character flash cards. Now, is this the right thing to teach? Wouldn’t numbers be better? My answer is “not really.” Why?
