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.
I’m a lover, not a fighter
5 Comments
Posted on August 24th, 2007 by
I have a confession to make. Bludgeoning strangers to death no longer excites me.
This isn’t a rant against violent games, where combat is the game’s raison d’être – I like my gibs as much as the next Quake fan. It’s not even a complaint that all popular games are violent – a look at any sales charts will convince you otherwise. But it seems that for game developers, the default response to any confrontation is violence. I realize that conflict is an important part of game design, but can’t we have more options? A little variety? I don’t want all my games to reflect reality, but I do enjoy games that let me inject my own morals. Generally speaking, my first reaction upon meeting a group of new people is not to beat the crap out of them, yet I’m regularly expected to do so in a game.
Wii Never Expected This … or Did We!?!
Posted on August 23rd, 2007 by
Come See Me @ the Penny-Arcade Expo!
Posted on August 23rd, 2007 by
The Penny-Arcade Expo opens tomorrow. For those not in the know, PAX is only 4 years old and has already grown to fill the Seattle Convention Center. I visited PAX last year (at Tycho’s invitation) and was very impressed by the crowd. A group of real gamers. 24 years old, future GamerParents, and enthusiastic, wonderful people. I’m hoping to get a few of them over here. After last year, I decided I wanted to hang with them some more. Read on for information on how you can see me at PAX ’07!
Convention Conventions
Posted on August 23rd, 2007 by
With PAX coming up this weekend, I thought maybe a little reminder was in order. Conventions are always an interesting mix of the population. We’re all there to have fun, and in the process people tend to forget the basics.
Remember The Four H’s:
Bioshocked
Posted on August 22nd, 2007 by
Every so often a special game comes out. Something that shakes the jaded out of their complacency. I pre-ordered Bioshock (a rare thing) and sat down with it late last night. I did this despite getting games sent to me for free. Despite having a review backlog that threatens to topple and bury my dog. But I did it based solely on reputation and experience. I mean, could the makers of System Shock, System Shock 2, Freedom Force, and Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich steer me wrong? more…
Stardust Review
Posted on August 21st, 2007 by
While fantasy and fairy tale movies strive to enchant, it can be hard to pull off if you feel like you need a set of reference books to follow along. A rare exception is Rob Reiner’s “The Princess Bride” — a movie that twenty years later still charms. Now, “inconceivably,” “The Princess Bride” has a companion, or maybe even a rival. “Stardust,” a surprisingly pleasant and enchanting film, is based on the novel by fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, who reinvented the adult fairy tale with his classic “Sandman” comic book series. more…
PC Gaming … still d0med!!!1one
Posted on August 20th, 2007 by
Did’ya hear? Microsoft released Halo and Shadowrun recently and required gamers to get their new Vista OS to play them and pay $50 a year for Shadowrun to be able to play against XBOX360 gamers! And what about other new games from third-party publishers ? They aren’t following suit: they are allowing gamers to use Windows XP or Vista. The injustice of it all! How can they just turn their back on … oh, wait, that is a good thing.
Not Just for Parents Anymore
Posted on August 19th, 2007 by
Maybe you’re not a parent…. but gaming is still your passion. Your hobby. Maybe your life. And no matter what your age, you love exploring strange new worlds, you dig virtual violence, and you think there’s room for all kinds of video games. You like everything from counter-terrorist ops, scoring in the red zone, dancing for fitness, gold farming, zombie-killing, and unleashing your star power. Video games are for you – but you’re sick of the hyperbole of the average preview or the fear-mongering coming from the mainstream media.
