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.
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Posted on March 19th, 2021 by
A few weeks ago, I saw an ad on Facebook for an Animal Crossing Loot Box from CultureFly. It was a little more than what I wanted to spend on it, but it had a lot of good things so I caved in and ordered it. I do really like Animal Crossing! So let’s take a look at what’s inside, plus a bonus item!
Raanaa: The Shaman Girl (Mobile)
Posted on March 17th, 2021 by
In a mythical land, a priestess is captured by an evil wizard. The priestess calls out to a sleeping young girl, and in her dream the girl transforms into a shaman. Now, in her dream, the girl must collect colored orbs to awaken her powers and rescue the priestess from the wizard. Raanaa: The Shaman Girl is a free-to-start 3-D platformer for mobile devices, but reviewed on iPad here.
Blastful (PS4, Switch)
Posted on March 15th, 2021 by
Blastful is a single screen arcade style space shooter that combines elements from classics like Asteroids and Missile Command. It’s available on PS4 and Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pac-Man Geo (Mobile)
Posted on March 12th, 2021 by
Remember a few years ago when Google Maps let you play Pac-Man using the road maps as mazes? Well now they’ve made a whole game out of that with Pac-Man Geo! It’s available for free on mobile devices, but reviewed on iPhone here.
Bonkies (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on March 10th, 2021 by
While it may sound like a breakfast cereal, Bonkies is actually a game where you help space monkeys build structures on distant planets. Guide your monkey in a space suit as you fly around with a jetpack, picking up blocks with a special claw and putting them in the designated spots before time runs out. Bonkies is available on most current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Super Cops: Justice Keepers (Mobile)
Posted on March 8th, 2021 by
You are a no-nonsense police officer named Steven Justice. One day your arch nemesis, the evil gangster Mr. Thorne kidnaps your daughter and you must get her back! But you also must defend your island police HQ from zombies among other things. Super Cops: Justice Keepers is an action game for mobile devices (reviewed on iPad here).
Angry Birds at TopGolf
Posted on March 5th, 2021 by
TopGolf is a chain of high tech golf driving ranges. You reserve a spot and can use these clubs (or bring your own), and you can scan your club to eject golf balls from a machine. Then you swing and hit the ball and try to get it to go into big holes on the playfield for points. I’m not totally sure how it works, but there are trackers in the ball so you can see the ball’s trajectory on a TV screen after you hit it. A dumb way to describe it is that it’s kind of like bowling, but it’s golf. Anyway, TopGolf has teamed up with Angry Birds for a new mode of play you can try. There’s actually a TopGolf in the same city where I live, so I went there a few months ago to test it out, and I finally got a chance to write about how it works.
Unplugged: Terrain Tinker & 3D Printed Terrain
Posted on March 4th, 2021 by
As a fan of cool technology and a gamer, I was quick to embrace 3D printing to trick out my gaming habits. In the past, I’ve dumped a fair bit of money on cool 3D terrain to add splash to my role playing games. Not long after that, 3D printing really came into its own and it was feasible to print your own 3D terrain tiles. One of the newest 3D terrain-related kickstarters (ending soon) is Terrain Tinker. It’s basically an interface for designing one’s 3D adventure setup on a computer, which can then output all the model STL files one would need to print them out in 3D. It interfaces with the folks over at Printable Scenery who sell STL files for all sorts of cool terrain and features. The Kickstarter is ending soon, so I thought I’d send a shout-out about the project before it closes on March 6th.
Castle Kong (Switch, PC)
Posted on March 3rd, 2021 by
An evil Baron has kidnapped a princess and taken her to the top of a castle. It’s up to you as a lowly pauper to climb up and down the castle to save her, jumping and avoiding obstacles all the way. If this sounds lot like Donkey Kong, well, it pretty much is! Castle Kong is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Unplugged: Homeworlds (Boardgame)
Posted on March 2nd, 2021 by
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Loony Labs has two solid game lines going for it. One is the chaotic but entertaining line of Fluxx games, and the other is its line of games based around a set of of colored plastic pyramids. Sold in many different ways, the pyramid line is now available in several small box releases. Homeworlds, reviewed here, is probably the deepest and most strategic of the games released. In a sort of space-chess way, the pyramids in the game represent ships and planets, with each color of pyramid granting a player different powers when used. The goal of the game is to mess with the enemy player’s homeworld and trigger a win.
