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.
Consoles & Carnage
2 Comments
Posted on November 16th, 2007 by
A few months ago I was contacted by a couple of high school students claiming they were making a documentary about video game violence. I gave them some of my time and answered their questions as thoroughly as I could. Now, in record time, they’re finished and have uploaded the documentary to YouTube. I’m very proud to link to this… these teens made an excellent, unbiased, and well crafted primer on video game controversy, fact and fiction. In fact, they outdid the mainstream media in most cased. (And I’m not just linking to it because I’m used as an expert in the video!)
For Those About to Rock!
Posted on November 16th, 2007 by
I was a happy gamer when Guitar Hero came out. I was even happier when the game took off and became a bonafide phenomenon with the sequel. Just as I finish Guitar Hero III on Medium (it’s excellent), a giant box appears at my door. Yes! Rock Band is here! As I unpack and begin to assemble the drum kit, tear into the guitar box (and the second separate box containing guitar #2), unpack the microphone and crack the shrink wrap of the game I mumble to myself: more…
Not Gaming With Children?
Posted on November 15th, 2007 by
In the world of parental advocacy, everyone is a buzz about a new study that claims that the majority of US parents don’t play games with their kids. I’ve gotten several emails asking for comment and here’s my short answer: “It means absolutely nothing we don’t already know about people.” They, like you I presume, then look confused and ask me what the heck that means. Click in for the Long Answer…
Space, The Mario Frontier . . .
Posted on November 12th, 2007 by
If you have a Wii and aren’t planning on picking up Super Mario Galaxy, then I’m going to have to assume won the console in a raffle and really don’t know what to do with it. Mario games, even when they slip a bit (Super Mario Sunshine, in my opinion) are Nintendo’s flagship for a reason. And that reason is pure quality. more…
Ten years of Jedi Katarn
Posted on November 12th, 2007 by
In the fall of 1997 LucasArts delivered into the hands of gamers something they had wanted since they first saw one twenty years prior – a lightsaber.
Welcome to the Namco Museum!
Posted on November 11th, 2007 by
Hello and welcome to the Namco Museum. I’ll be your tour guide today. My name is Cary and we’ll be looking at the two newest branches of the Museum: the DS and Wii games. Please stay in the group and hold all questions until the end of the tour. Ready? Let’s begin. And we’re walking…we’re walking…
Bee Movie Review
Posted on November 9th, 2007 by
Disney Family put up my Bee Movie review – I ended up liking it a bit more than my wife, not as much as my kids, and I’m
still kind of angry about that absurd ad campaign (thank goodness it’s over). Here’s an excerpt. Click the link to read the whole thing at Disney Family!
Sim City for Free & for Kids
Posted on November 8th, 2007 by
One of the games that got me back into gaming back in College (I mean aside from getting a job and finally upgrading my computer) was the first SimCity. Wil Wright’s genius design showed me – and I had no idea at the time how this would echo into my life and career close to 20 years later – that games could be fun and introduce some really hard to teach concepts to kids AND adults. Not perfect, sure, but my basic understanding of city concerns like zoning and property value come from this game. Well, EA has done a wonderful thing. The press release follows:
Free Abe Lincoln!!!
Posted on November 6th, 2007 by
No, this is not some plea to help out an incarcerated person named after our 16th president. This is news that in front of this week’s release of Sam & Max Season 2: Ice Station Santa, TellTale Games has made one of the best episodes of Season 1: Abe Lincoln Must Die! available for free! more…
Think Yellow!
Posted on November 6th, 2007 by
In honor of The Simpsons Game being released last week, here’s an old mind dump blog I wrote when The Simpsons Movie came out.
