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.
Wii Music
6 Comments
Posted on November 3rd, 2008 by
I decided to take a different approach to reviewing Wii Music and just ramble about it. While a bad E3 demo and toy-like gameplay have plagued Wii Music’s reputation, the former band geek in me still wanted to try it. And plus, despite what they all said, I still had fun with it at PAX. So how is it? Read on to find out:
This Week in Games: November 2 – 8
Posted on November 2nd, 2008 by
With another massive list of new games this week, there is once again something for everyone! While perhaps not as massive as last week, there are some big games this week – from Gears of War 2, and Resistance 2 to the multiplatform release ofTom Clancy’s End War that includes an interesting turn-based game for the DS and PSP. Check out the rest of the list! more…
It’s a-me! Trick or Treat!
Posted on October 31st, 2008 by
View from the Vault Part 2: How I stopped worrying and learned to love the game
Posted on October 31st, 2008 by
Wow … my first entry got a lot of attention. While there were only a few comments here, on two different sites the post sprang forth into 4+ page threads. One site is more biased towards ‘next gen’ consoles (i.e. X360 and PS3) and the other one is more biased towards PC gaming. Each one took something different and ran with it … but in neither case was much time spent talking about the actual game. So let’s fix that this time ’round.
Super Smash Brothers: Brawl … with Children
Posted on October 30th, 2008 by
Super Smash Brothers for the Wii is rated E-10 for its cartoon violence but exactly because of that cartoon violence I grabbed it off the shelf. It was a special night last Friday. Maggie and her mom were at the premiere of High School Musical 3 so it was just Henry and I. Oh, and my buddy Zane. Zane’s my gaming friend and he’s stood by me through two hospital emergencies. A good friend. We test split-screen multiplayer on M games for this site, we play Madden, and we rock. Henry usually doesn’t get to play with Zane, so to the boy, this was a special treat. Oh yes, Super Smash Bros. was the perfect choice!
View from the Vault Part: Fallout 3 Impressions Part 1
Posted on October 29th, 2008 by
I think I have already sufficiently established myself as a curmudgeon on many topics but certainly regarding PC gaming: I have railed for years about the impact of consoles on PC gaming (Deus Ex: Invisible War), complain about the state of games that are obvious ports when they do arrive (Oblivion), complain about the generification of genres that has occurred as consoles have led the charge to mainstreaming (again Oblivion), and so on. So I am a perfect candidate for someone to come out and rant about how the newly released Fallout 3 is nothing but ‘Oblivion with guns’ and rant and froth about the history of the franchise and the purity of the RPG genre and … well, just come on in and see … more…
GamerDad Keynote & the ALA
Posted on October 28th, 2008 by
GamerDad (me) will be delivering a keynote address at the 2nd Annual “Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium” in Chicago, run by the American Library Association. I’ll be speaking on November 4th (remember to vote) at 9am and will talk for about an hour or so about videogames and this whole Gamerparenting thing I do. Joining me (at their own speaking times) are Dr. Lawrence Kutner (co-author of “Grand Theft Childhood” and Marc Prensky (author of “Don’t Bother Me Mom … I’m Learning!”).
Oh no! Cary played Dead or Alive Xtreme 2?!?
Posted on October 26th, 2008 by
When Halloween approaches, people tend to start talking about scary video games. So I’m going to talk about a video game that has the scariest creatures on Earth! Women! Just joking! Just joking! Women aren’t scary! Some of the nicest people I know are women. But the real scary question is “WHY on Earth would Cary play such a game?” That’s not normally the kind of games I usually play. So read on to find out why, and stick around for a silly review of it, plus a TRULY scary game!
This Week in Games: October 26 – Nov. 1
Posted on October 26th, 2008 by
With well over 80 new games this week, there is something for evryone! One person’s ‘shovelware’ is another’s ‘favorite game ever’. There are some really big games launching this week – the delayed LittleBigPlanet, the guaranteed smash Guitar Hero World Tour and my personal choice of the week Fallout 3. This week the game the RPG world has been waiting for over a decade arrives, much different than anyone might have expected, and all of the angst and posturing of the past couple of years will finally end … or at least transition to a new phase. The PS2 is back and still going strong with 15 new games, more than twice as many as the PS3, in a sign that Sony still has a major hitmaker on their hands even two years after the release of their ‘next gen’ entry.Check out the rest of the list! more…
Game Review: Sam & Max: Season One (Wii)
Posted on October 25th, 2008 by
Sam & Max aren’t your regular police force…they’re the Freelance Police. Sam is a no-nonsense dog detective and his pal Max is a hyperkinetic rabbity thing. For more than 20 years they’ve been serving their brand of justice on the pages of underground comic books, on a Saturday morning cartoon, and in some popular computer adventure games. Now they’re ready to take on the Nintendo Wii with all six hilarious episodes of their Season One adventures from the PC.
