GamerDad and family 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.
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Hallmark 2023 Video Game Christmas Ornaments

Hallmark always has a wide variety of Christmas ornaments every year, and in the past few years they’ve even had lots of video game themed ones!  I got a bunch of them this year as well, as I always do, so let’s take a look at them!

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Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

Taito has made a name for themselves with famous arcade titles with worldwide popularity.  Notable ones include Space Invaders, Bubble Bubble, and Bust-A-Move.  Another super popular arcade game they made was Operation Wolf.  It was a light gun game with military themes, and while it certainly wasn’t the first light gun game, it really helped boost that genre’s popularity.  It spawned many ports and sequels, like Operation Thunderbolt.  Fun fact: In the movie Wonder Woman 84, when she is beating up the bad guys in the mall, you can see an arcade in the background and an Operation Wolf machine!  Of course, the movie was supposed to be set in 1984 and Operation Wolf didn’t come out until 1987, but I guess I’m the only one who would notice that.  Anyway, now there is a new game in the series with Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (Switch, Mobile)

For nearly every little girl who loves to play with Barbie dolls, the ultimate dream is to own Barbie’s Dreamhouse, a giant dollhouse for Barbie and her friends.  And now your little girl can have that dreamhouse without having to put in a second mortgage and spend all night putting it together with Barbie Dreamhouse Adventure.  It’s basically a virtual dollhouse for the Switch. When I first popped this review copy into my Switch, the game seemed vaguely familiar.  Turns out I reviewed this game five years ago when it was just a mobile app.  But this version takes out all the in-game purchase crap and adds a bunch of new things, so that’s good.  As a 47 year old man, I don’t have any interest in Barbie, but the franchise sure did get a boost of popularity this past year with that new live action movie that just came out (never saw it myself).  But let’s take a tour of Barbie’s Dreamhouse and see what all you can do!

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Little Friends: Puppy Island (Switch, PC)

I’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been a Nintendogs game on Switch yet.  Luckily there’s Little Friends: Puppy Island to fill in the gap.  You and your pup are vacationing on an island, watching a house for a friend.  This house has a backyard with all sorts of things to take care of puppies, and as you take yours on walks, you’ll meet new puppy friends to take care of, items to find, and things to build on the trails.  Little Friends: Puppy Island is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Ball laB II (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)

Ball laB II is a minimalistic precision single screen platformer.  Guide a white ball through beige and orange obstacles like spikes, pits, and air gusts as you make it to the exit of the level.  I’ve never played the first game so I don’t know if this one has any additions or improvements.  It’s available on all current consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Welcome to Merry Magoland!

So recently I played through Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe on Switch.  Knowing that I’m a huge Kirby fan, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t get this game back when it released in February.  Well I don’t really like paying full price for Switch re-releases and remakes, especially when I already paid for these games back on the original console.  So I waited and asked for it for my birthday, which is what I usually do for games I want to get, but don’t have to play right away.  So since I had already played this one back on the Wii, I decided I can wait and put it on my birthday list.  After playing it, I have to say that unlike a lot of other Switch rereleases, this one’s actually pretty good and adds a lot of extra content.  One of the extra things is an amusement park with ten Kirby mini-games from past titles!  And since I like to write blogs about games that have a lot of mini-games, especially if they are presented in a museum or amusement park, let’s take a tour of Merry Magoland!

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RedRaptor (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

RedRaptor is a 2D vertically scrolling shooter.  It features an upgrade system, but otherwise pretty standard stuff.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Pizza Possum (Switch, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

A possum thief lives on the bottom of a sprawling Mediterranean town filled with all sorts of animal villagers.  At the top of the town is the Dog King and a giant pizza.  The possum wants to steal this pizza, so you’ll have to help him sneak past guards, grab food, unlock doors, and cause mischief and mayhem in general in this top down viewed arcade action game for one or two players.  Pizza Possum is available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Sea of Stars (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

When I was a teenager in the early to mid 90s, I loved 16-bit RPGs.  Couldn’t get enough of them.  I poured over Final Fantasy 4 and 6, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Lufia 2, and many more.  But once I started college and the 32-bit era came about, I started to fall out of the RPG loop for whatever reason.  And now I don’t play near as many RPGs as I used to as a teen.  Many times since then, a game maker has tried to capture the magic of those 16-bit RPGs with a new title, but they almost always miss the mark.  Until now.  Sea of Stars is a new RPG by the same folks who did The Messenger.  The Messenger was a 2-D platformer starring a ninja, and I reviewed it way back when.  Sea of Stars is actually meant to be a prequel to that game, but luckily you don’t have to have played it to understand what’s going on here.  Which is good since I don’t remember a whole lot about what went on in The Messenger!  Anyway, in Sea of Stars, you’ll play as one of two Solstice Warriors as they are charged with defeating evil Dwellers.  Along the way they’ll meet friends, encounter twists and turns, betrayals, and much more.  Sea of Stars plays most like Chrono Trigger and is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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The Jackbox Party Pack 10 (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

If you have a bunch of people over to play games during the holidays, but not enough controllers to play with everyone, then Jackbox has you covered!  Their latest batch of party games is out, and all you need are cell phones or tablets to play them!  Just connect to Jackbox.tv on any mobile device and enter in the room code and you’re in!  It’s pretty simple and works well, and in some games, even people who don’t have cell phones can be part of the audience and participate, too.  The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.  Let’s take a quick look at the five games on this collection.

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