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.
Papetura (Switch, PC)
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Posted on February 1st, 2023 by
In a world made entirely out of paper, a shadowy being enters with the power of fire. That’s pretty dangerous in a world like this, so it’s up to a living sheet of paper and his weird friends to stop the shadow presence and save the day. Papetura is a 2-D puzzle adventure game where everything was made from paper in real life, then scanned into the game so it’s very artistic. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Arctictopia (Switch, PC, Mobile)
Posted on January 30th, 2023 by
A mama polar bear and her cub are exploring the ice, but it starts to melt and break up and separates them! Help the mama polar bear reach her cub by hopping on constantly melting icebergs in this very “chill” puzzle platformer. It’s available on Switch, PC, and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Chained Echoes (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on January 27th, 2023 by
Chained Echoes is a 2-D RPG modeled after the 16-bit classics I used to love, like Chrono Trigger and such. The storyline is a bit convoluted, but it involves three kingdoms on the brink of war, ancient stones that house world destroying monsters, mech suits, and a rag-tag team of adventurers who will end up saving the world. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
That’s a Cow (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on January 25th, 2023 by
That’s a Cow is a silly, continuous runner where you propel your cow forward by having it squirt milk like some kind of dairy jetpack. You can also squirt obstacles and enemies, too, as you collect coins and apples. It’s available on Switch and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Dwarven Skykeep (PC, MacOS)
Posted on January 24th, 2023 by
Dwarven Skykeep has you hire dwarves to build and defend your tower. However, you can’t choose your options willy-nilly. You may only construct rooms and use abilities offered from cards drawn from your preconstructed deck. Part sim management, part real-time strategy, Dwarven Skykeep will appeal to real-time strategy gamers who like to adapt to changes on the fly.
Chalk Gardens (Switch, PC)
Posted on January 23rd, 2023 by
Kids love playing with chalk outside on the sidewalk, and there have even been cartoons based on that idea, like Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings from the 70s and Nickelodeon’s Chalk Zone. And now you can play a game about that, too, with Chalk Gardens on Switch and PC (reviewed on Switch here). A child’s favorite stuffed toy has lost its leg, and now you must help them find it. Explore a world of chalk drawings and provide solutions to problems to open up paths to reach new areas.
Prismatic Paints – (RPG Paints by Wizkids)
Posted on January 21st, 2023 by
Some of the earliest tabletop games involved playing with little figures to represent units and creatures and where there are little figures, there are people who want to paint them. In the past, miniatures and painting were relegated to the dedicated wargamers or the occasional fan of role-playing games. Today, painting is even more common – many larger format board games also contain minis providing boardgamers the chance to join in. Traditionally, Wizkids has produced a wide variety of pre-painted miniatures for RPG players but has recently dipped their toe into the wider painting field with a line of high-quality unpainted minis. As of now, players can even buy their painting supplies from Wizkids, with a special Dungeons & Dragons branded Prismatic Paint sets of thirty colors in a portable carrying case.
PlayDate Update: Part 2
Posted on January 20th, 2023 by
A couple of months ago I reviewed the PlayDate, a new handheld gaming device that has a crank on the side that you can wind to control some of the games. The other unique thing about this device is how you get the games. They come two at a time and are downloaded automatically on the handheld each week on a Monday. I talked about a few of them when I wrote my initial review, and then another batch of ten more about a month later. And now I’ve got my final batch of ten from season one, so we’ll go over those as well as my final thoughts on the PlayDate.
Goodbye World (Switch, PC)
Posted on January 18th, 2023 by
I play and review a lot of indie games. Before the pandemic, I would go to shows like PAX and E3 and preview a lot of them, but sometimes it would take years before I would actually get a full release date copy to review. I’ve always wondered what those developers did during that time. How did they get paid? Did they have to work on other things to get by? Why did it take so long to make that game? If you’ve wondered about those questions, too, then maybe Goodbye World is for you. In it, you’ll follow the struggles of two just-out-of-college young ladies as they struggle to make an indie game. And in between story sections, you’ll get to try a snippet of the game they’re working on, a retro black and white handheld platform puzzler. Goodbye World is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Crystal Goddess (Switch, PC)
Posted on January 16th, 2023 by
An evil purple haired vixen has stolen four crystals, and now a goddess guardian must set off to get them back in this 2-D platformer. Use the crystals’ powers to progress in this side scroller for Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
