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.
GamerDad’s Week in Games 11/21/08
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Posted on November 22nd, 2008 by
Original Half-Life $0.98 Today Only
Posted on November 21st, 2008 by
OK, it started Wednesday, but I only heard about it late last night … anyway, this milestone first-person shooter is celebrating its’ 10th birthday, and as a treat, Valve is giving it away for the low price of 98 cents (get it, released in 1998, sell for 98 cents!). I had been working on a Retrospective, but let me just be clear – it was a great game in 1998, and it is still great now. The graphics have been improved through the Source engine, but it still looks like a 1998 game. The gameplay and excellent narrative style haven’t lost their edge a bit in the last decade. If you don’t own it – or even if you do but don’t have it on Steam, go here and buy it. NOW!!! EDITOR: Mike meant to warn parents that this game is rated M. It’s tame by today’s standards, I could see 15+ myself, but parent be warned. Half-Life is a horror game.
Good. Old. Games.
Posted on November 20th, 2008 by
I love truth in advertising, and the guys from CD Projekt (responsible for bringing us The Witcher) were certainly upfront when creating their new site. The European publisher wanted to make a site that would charge a reasonable amount and give gamers older games that were out of circulation in a convenient, DRM-free package that you can download forever. I *know* … so why are you still here!?!? more…
Mississippi Library Association Keynote
Posted on November 19th, 2008 by
Tomorrow morning I jet off to Jackson Mississippi to address a few hundred librarians while they eat dinner. I’ll probably be helping them with their game night too. To be honest? I can’t wait. It’s fun and fine to chat with gamers and gamerparents, especially at a place like PAX, but I can’t move people there. I can’t defend gaming and I can’t explain why I think it’s crucial that libraries be involved and make games available to everyone who can afford a console – not just the rich. If I can change a few minds, I can really help a lot of parents and kids. Thank you MLA for this opportunity.
Beyond the ESRB
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by
Recently, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (the body that rates the games) announced that they would – finally – add more detail about why games get the ratings they do. This is something I’ve been advocating for my entire career and it took them 5 years, but they finally did it. So why didn’t I post about it? Sour grapes isn’t the right word and I don’t feel slighted or wounded really – I’m just disappointed. Here’s why…
Mirror’s Edge
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by
Mirror’s Edge is the kind of game I hate because of how much I love it. (Portal is another great example.) These are games that thrill me with their style or uniqueness while making me want to break the record for how fast you can throw a controlleragainst a wall. I’m about halfway through and stuck in Mirror’s Edge, stuck in a way that makes me want to NEVER start the game again … but I know that’s not true. I’ll break eventually. Mirror’s Edge is too interesting and cool for me to be able to ignore it completely.
Left4Dead – PC, 360
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by
Valve makes great games – only, they don’t make them often enough. After loving Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and then the embarrassment of riches that was the Team Fortress 2 and Portal in the Orange Box (all but one of those are rated M). Today Left4Dead was released and it’s, frankly, an amazing step forward in terms of multiplayer, co-op, and politeness. Valve once again has knocked the industry down a peg and created a game that will lead, hopefully, to a lot of copy-cats.
This Week in Games: November 16 – 22
Posted on November 16th, 2008 by
Perhaps the interesting note this week is not that just abou every platform has a large release list with some standout games, but that the PSP has only one game … and it is a multiplatform game coming out on every platform. My personal ‘game overload’ comes from two PC expansions to major RPG’s – Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods(PC) and Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir(PC). Other highlights include Shaun White Snowboarding (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii/PS2/PSP/DS/PC), Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Xbox 360/PS3), Tomb Raider Underworld(Xbox 360/PS3/Wii/DS/PC), and Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii). Check out the rest of the list! more…
Pac-Man Christmas Ornament
Posted on November 15th, 2008 by
In my 10+ years reviewing video games for various publications, I’ve written about some pretty weird stuff. When I was writing for the Dallas newspaper, Chex cereal at one point included a prize in every box: a PC game called Chex Quest (a family friendly Doom clone). Thinking it would never be published, I wrote a review of it as kind of a joke. But the joke was on me because the newspaper actually published it and it garnered some pretty positive feedback! Later, when I was also writing reviews of video game accessories and gadgets, they had me review a PlayStation memory card that was shaped like Lara Croft. I mean, how do you review that? I wanted to say, “It’s the only memory card with breasts,” but this was a family newspaper so I wisely used some restraint. And then there was the time where I wrote The Grinch video game review entirely in rhyme. Well today I’m going to continue that tradition of writing reviews of weird stuff with the Hallmark Pac-Man Christmas Ornament!
Game Review: Monster Jam: Urban Assault (Wii)
Posted on November 14th, 2008 by
For my fifth or sixth birthday (can’t remember exactly), my dad took me to a monster truck show. You know, “Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY” and all that. Early childhood memories can sometimes be a little fuzzy, but I have a vivid memory of going to see that monster truck event. I remember that the big wheels crushing all those cars was so loud that we had to wear earplugs. And for the grand finale, they had a demolition derby with three Mac trucks with trailers attached! For a little kid, that was the coolest thing in the world. Heck, even as a grown up, that sounds kind of cool. Now, surely at some point, most likely while being stuck in traffic, maybe you imagined what it would be like to take one of those monster trucks out on the town, smashing and bashing anything in your way. Well now you can do that in the comfort of your own home on the Nintendo Wii with Monster Jam: Urban Assault.
