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.
Fallout Jones Sodas
2 Comments
Posted on May 8th, 2026 by
I don’t know much about the Fallout game series as it’s not my cup of tea. But my brothers love those games and I’ve watched them play the games in the past, so I know a little bit about them. I know they have a brand of soda in the game called “Nuka Cola” that has a bit of radiation in it, and I know they use bottle caps as currency in the games. Plus I think there’s a Fallout TV show now? Anyway, now you can try some of the sodas in the game (without the radiation I hope) thanks to Jones Sodas.
Unplugged: Unstoppable – Boardgame
Posted on May 7th, 2026 by
A recent entry in the excellent Solo Hero series by Renegade Game Studios, Unstoppable is a unique combat-focused card-crafting game set in a dystopian future. It is a combat deck-builder where the focus of the game is to damage enemies or purchase upgraded cards to defeat more enemies in the future. The “hook” here lies in how the cards are used. Cards are “created” in sleeves – each sleeve is filled with a player-side card and an enemy side-side card. When a new player card is bought, it is placed in a sleeve with an enemy back, creating a unique double-sided card. During the game, up to two upgrade cards can also be added between the two sides to make the card more powerful to use (and to fight.) Few cards are drawn. Instead, players must defeat the back side of a card to draw its front side into their hand. With four heroes (with slightly different starting hands) and three unique bosses to fight, there is a considerable amount of boardgame space to explore in a relatively small box. If this particular dystopian future isn’t your jam, there is a crowdfunding effort to bring about a sequel featuring Dungeon Crawler Carl, the protagonist (along with his cat) of a series of books set in a planet-wide survival dungeon televised for galactic viewers. There’s obviously a following for it as the campaign for the new card game, along with a new RPG in the setting, is currently pushing $10 million raised.
The Day I Became a Bird (Switch, PS4, PS5, PC)
Posted on May 6th, 2026 by
The Day I Became a Bird is a children’s picture book published about a decade ago. Then a few years ago, it was made into an indie film that won some international awards. I’d love to be able to watch that, but I can’t figure out where I can. Anyway, now you can play a game based on the book and film, too. You play as a boy who falls for the new girl in your class, but she’s obsessed with birds. She watches them out the window, draws pictures of them, and even wears bird barrettes in her hair. So the boy decides to dress as a bird to get her attention, ignoring the ridicule of his classmates. It’s a cute story, and now you can play an interactive version of it on Switch, PlayStation consoles, and PC (reviewed on Switch here).
May the 4th be with you!
Posted on May 4th, 2026 by
Happy Star Wars Day! It being a great time to celebrate one of the most popular science fiction settings around, I thought it would be a appropriate to give a shout out to some of my favorite Star Wars branded boardgames. Two recent titles (and thus should be easy to find) are Star Wars Super Teams (what if CandyLand had actual decisions, strategy AND you could move other people) and Star Wars: Battle of Hoth (an introductory wargame, based around the invasion of the ice planet.) Super Teams would be great for younger folks, maybe 7+, while the latter is deep enough for adults to enjoy but is also playable by a gamer 10 year old.
Hello, Yoshi! (Switch 1 & 2, Mobile)
Posted on May 4th, 2026 by
A couple of months ago, Nintendo started a new line in the US called My Mario. It’s a bunch of toys and games geared towards babies and toddlers and their parents. Some of the items include Mario themed wooden toy blocks, which are cool because they also act as amiibo. I wish I could get them, but right now they’re just exclusive to the Nintendo stores in New York and San Fransico, and I won’t be going to those places any time soon. There’s also other toys like Fischer Price Little People playsets (which still look cool), apparel, plush toys, and videos. Another item in the line was a little app called Hello, Mario! It let you play with Mario’s face and stretch it around, kind of like the title screen from Super Mario 64. And now you can do that with Yoshi! Hello, Yoshi! is also available on Switch 1 & 2 as well as mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch 2 here.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder amiibo
Posted on May 1st, 2026 by
I recently got some amiibo based on Super Mario Bros. Wonder to coincide with the release of the Switch 2 version. So let’s take a look at them.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Alarmo
Posted on April 29th, 2026 by
Nintendo has a new downloadable ‘skin’ for their alarm clock called the Alarmo, and this one features themes and characters from Super Mario Bros. Wonder! If you want more information about the Alarmo, I wrote an article a couple of years ago about it here. So let’s check it out!
Talking Flower
Posted on April 27th, 2026 by
It’s Wonder Week here at GamerDad, where we’ll look at three things released related to Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Nintendo made a real life toy version of one of those Talking Flowers that first appeared in Wonder and later in the newest Mario Party and Tennis entries. I got one so let’s take a look at it.
Animal Crossing + Sea Life Aquariums
Posted on April 24th, 2026 by
As you may or may not know, Animal Crossing as a series is my second favorite game of all time. It’s only beaten out by Pac-Man, so you know how much I must like it. One of my favorite parts of Animal Crossing is the museum which you can donate fossils, paintings, bugs, and fish to. The aquarium part is especially cool, because you can see the fish you’ve caught swimming around and I just like aquariums. Shortly after Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released, they starting doing real life aquarium tours featuring Animal Crossing characters and decorations. I really wanted to go to one, but there wasn’t any close in my area. Until now. Earlier this year, Animal Crossing partnered with Sea Life, a chain of aquariums you can usually find in touristy areas. Depending on when you read this and where you live, you might be able to go to one, too, as they are doing this until the end of May. Check the Sea Life website to see if there’s one near you. There’s one about 30 minutes away from where I live (Grapevine Mills Mall in Texas), so I hopped on the chance to go as soon as I could. So let’s take a tour of it!
Unplugged: 20 Strong – Tanglewoods
Posted on April 23rd, 2026 by
In 20 Strong Tanglewoods, one takes on the role of their favorite fairytale protagonist in this solo dice-rolling game of adventure. Gamers looking for a card-based, solo, medium to lightweight dungeon crawling experience should check it out. 20 Strong is a series of games from Chip Theory that use the same set of twenty dice of several different colors. These dice are then used to play any number of different games, players only have to purchase a new deck of cards to have a new game to play. At present, every game in the 20 Strong line revolves around rolling dice to damage and defeat a deck filled with antagonist cards. However, only some of the rolled dice are recovered to be used again. Thus, a primary focus in the game is managing one’s dice use. After wading through various minions, defeat the final boss to win the game. The recent Tanglewoods series (red, white, gold, rose – I leave the reader to figure out which fairy tale is which) all tend to involve a strong movement component, whereby the player moves from location to location, triggering an event (battling something or recovering) on their way to the final showdown location. While there is a strong similarity between versions, a player that enjoys one deck of cards will probably appreciate the variety offered by another. There is even a special card deck that combines three of the other Tanglewoods decks for a linked campaign. If the 20 Strong line of games sounds interesting, there is also a crowdfunding campaign going on for three new decks based on the popular boardgames: Tainted Grail, Nemesis, and Etherfields.
20 Strong – Tanglewoods
Designer: Josh J. Carlson (also Logan Giannini & Ryan Howard)
Publisher: Chip Theory Games
Players: 1 (solo only)
Ages: 14+
Time: 30-40 min
(review copy provided by publisher)
