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.
Hoa (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, PC)
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Posted on October 11th, 2021 by
Anytime I review a game with hand-drawn graphics, the press release almost always says it’s “Ghibli inspired,” even if it looks nothing at all like a Studio Ghibli cartoon. However, Hoa is one game that definitely deserves that claim. Everything from the visuals, music, and overall themes are absolutely “Ghibli-esque.” In this very chill and relaxing 2-D puzzle platformer, you play as a forest fairy named Hoa. Although to me she looks more like a walking hat. Hoa has the power to bring back life to her land, which has been ravaged by machinery. The game is available for most current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Reader Review: World’s End Club (Switch)
Posted on October 8th, 2021 by
My brother Nathan loves games from NIS America, so he jumped at the chance to review this one. Check out his review of World’s End Club for Switch below! –Cary
Ravva and the Cyclops Curse (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on October 6th, 2021 by
There once was a powerful owl sorceress who could summon monsters at will. But an evil cyclops turned her to stone. Now the sorceress’ daughter Ravva must use her weaker summoning powers to save her. Ravva and the Cyclops Curse is an 8-bit styled 2-D puzzle platformer. It’s available for most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Guts N Goals (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on October 4th, 2021 by
Compete in a retro pixel styled soccer match where you get to smack around the ball, and other players, with bats and other weapons. Guts N Goals is a madcap multiplayer-centric soccer game available for most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
5th Evolution – Carbide City (RPG)
Posted on October 2nd, 2021 by
Tabletop role-playing games continue to grow in popularity, with hipster/influencer/famous folks taking it up and thus rubbing off on their followers. Growth in RPGs of all systems and genres are on an upward trajectory. The default is good old swords and sorcery with blade-wielding armsmen and spellslingers going toe to toe with monsters of all types. Other genres exist out there (horror, western, modern/spy, etc…) but one of the hardest to pin down is a game where the players take on the role of superheroes. My personal favorite system, Champions, does a superb job of letting a player create exactly the hero they want while also keeping the power level between characters fairly balanced. However, Champions is also called an RPG for accountants and its combats are not for the faint of heart. The 5th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons is the most popular game out there at the moment and folks have tried to adapt that system into all sorts of new genres. Folks over at Limitless Adventures are attempting to fuse 5th Edition rules with superhero stories and characters, calling the new rules 5th Evolution (or 5evo for short.).
Colors Live (Switch)
Posted on October 1st, 2021 by
I always thought Nintendo’s Art Academy games were neat ideas. Even though they were not completely realistic and couldn’t replicate the feel of actually drawing on paper, they taught a lot of art techniques and some of the games even showed you how to draw Pokémon and Disney characters! With the touch screen usable in handheld mode, I’m kind of surprised Nintendo hasn’t made an Art Academy on the Switch yet. So that’s why I was interested in reviewing Colors Live. It’s a paint and art program on the Switch with a unique twist: the physical version of this game comes with a special stylus that hooks into the headphone jack and uses sound to detect pressure sensitive hard and soft brush strokes!
OBAKEIDORO! (Switch)
Posted on September 29th, 2021 by
With all the Pac-Man playing I’ve done in my life, I know that Obake means ‘ghost’ in Japanese, more or less. I’m not sure what the ‘doro’ part at the end means though. Anyway, in this game, two siblings are about to go to sleep under a red moon, but then a ghost comes out of their closet to snatch them away to play a spooky yet silly game of tag meets hide and seek. In this multiplayer game, choose to side with the humans or the ghosts as you either hide from the specters or try to catch all the humans.
Pretty Girls Panic! (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)
Posted on September 27th, 2021 by
Play a classic styled arcade game to reveal pictures of anime ladies in Pretty Gals Panic. It’s available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pizza Pixel Podcast Episode 4: Top Five Favorite Video Game Music Composers
Posted on September 24th, 2021 by
When I do one of my podcasts with my brothers, I try to think of a topic that we can both talk about enthusiastically. My brother Ben, who is the oldest of my younger brothers on my dad’s side, he’s really into music. I’m into music more than what you might think I am, too, I just don’t talk about it as much. So I thought a topic we could both talk about together is our favorite video game music composers. I hope you all get to listen to this one and maybe even learn a thing or two!
WitchSpring3 (Re:Fine): The Story of Eirudy (Switch, Mobile)
Posted on September 22nd, 2021 by
WitchSpring is a series of mobile phone RPGs from Korea. And now one of the entries is on Nintendo Switch, which is why we’re starting with WitchSpring3. But you really don’t need knowledge of the previous games to enjoy this one, unless you just want to know more about the lore of everything in it. Anyway, in this game you play as Eirudy, a witch girl who lives in a monster-filled misty forest excluded from humans (but her grandmother lives nearby). One day while running an errand to collect materials for her magic, Eirudy bumps into a human fugitive who is trying to avoid soldiers like she does. Together they have lots of adventures, and you can use your witch magic for good or evil in this highly customizable turn-based RPG. It kind of reminds me of a cross between Secret of Mana and those Atelier so-and-so RPGs.
