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.
Unplugged: Oceans (Boardgame)
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Posted on December 17th, 2020 by
Players take on the role of ocean gatherers, hunters, and scavengers in this card game of species evolving and jostling for survival in the ocean blue. A spiritual successor to the Evolution line of games, Oceans takes the game in a slightly more strategic direction, as a slightly faster flow, and favors a slightly less aggressive style of play. Whereas Evolution provided food to players at a regular rate, Oceans leaves the management of available food in the players’ hands. A great compliment to Evolution, gamers who like the former should like the new game but will have to decide if they are different enough to keep both on the shelf. As a special bonus for reading this far, I’ll note that Oceans (Oceans Board Game Lite) is available as a free app you can play on your phone! Give it a download and see whether you need to run out and buy a copy of the game for Christmas.
Oceans
Publisher: NorthStar Games
Ages: 12+
Players: 2-4
Time: 60-90 mins
(Review copy provided by North Star Games)
Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on December 17th, 2020 by
I grew up as a kid in the 80s, and one of the things I remember being SUPER POPULAR for a while was the Rubik’s Cube puzzle toy. It was everywhere, and everyone had it. It was so big that at one point, there was a Saturday morning cartoon about it. I’m not kidding, go look it up after reading this review. It’s crazy! And now, 40 years later, you can play a video game and exercise your brain with puzzles based on the 80’s icon. Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness is available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cook, Serve, Delicious 3?! (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on December 16th, 2020 by
The tough-as-nails cooking sim is back! In the last game I reviewed, you cooked food in restaurants inside a high rise building, from a lowly stall in a food court all the way up to a swanky establishment. And now you’re taking it on the road with food trucks in the sequel. Cook, Serve, Delicious 3?! is available for nearly all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Space Invaders Forever (PS4, Switch)
Posted on December 15th, 2020 by
I love classic arcade games, and you can’t get much more classic than Space Invaders! So I was excited to review Space Invaders Forever. It’s a collection of three notable games in the Space Invaders series, and it’s great that they’re some of my favorite iterations of the franchise as well! It’s available on PS4 and Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here. Let’s take a look at the games on this compilation!
Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure (Switch, Xbox One)
Posted on December 14th, 2020 by
One of my top three favorite puzzle games is Puzzle Bobble, also called Bust-A-Move in the US, although I prefer the former name. My other two favorites are Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo and plain ol’ Tetris. Anyway, in Puzzle Bobble, you aim and fire colored bubbles to the top of the screen to match three or more so they’ll disappear. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the game is also one of the most copied puzzlers on mobile devices. Makes me wonder if Taito wishes they would’ve gotten a stricter copyright on their creation. Anyway, while you see many imitators on mobile devices, you don’t really see any on consoles. But now there is one with Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure. It’s available on Switch and Xbox One, but reviewed on Switch here. Help the good pirate bird Rusty Spout stop the evil demon pirate from kidnapping children from Rusty’s home village…by popping bubbles. Yeah these kinds of games really don’t need a story, do they?
Unplugged: Holiday Guide 2020
Posted on December 12th, 2020 by
Happy Holidays! Boardgaming continues to make inroads to wider audiences, and there’s no better time to get (or get your friends and family) into the hobby than an extended holiday break. Yes, it is an unusual year so there may not be as much mixing as usual but there are boardgames out there to meet up with almost any taste. If you only have access to online gaming buddies, check out BoardGameArena.com or TableTopia.com. Boardgames are timeless, just as good today as they will be years in the future, so a purchase today will still be serving you well after the lockdowns go away. As we at GamerDad have done for the past 17+ years, it’s time for an annual rundown of recent boardgames well worth your time. Feel free to delve into some past year’s guides for 2019, 2018, or 2017 or older as they’re still great candidates for your consideration. You might not find all these titles at your local mega-mart but many can be found online or in a friendly local game store. Some may argue $50+ boardgames are expensive, but compare that to videogaming (and where multiple copies are required for multiplayer play) or heading out to the movies ($30+ for four people) and the economics of boardgaming shows their true value. For each game I’ve provided the number of players, an approximate MSRP (you might find it lower), and expected time for one game.
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The Games of Super Mario 3-D All-Stars (Switch)
Posted on December 11th, 2020 by
I love video game collections and compilations and writing blogs about them. But you know who doesn’t do video game collections very much? Nintendo! So Super Mario 3-D All-Stars is a pretty big deal. Or is it? Well we’ll take a look at that as well as the games in this set. Plus a few bonuses. So as Mario would say, “Let’s-a go!”
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula (Switch, PC)
Posted on December 9th, 2020 by
Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula, has torched your family home and kidnapped your brother. You are a tough as nails female archer who now must exact revenge on Dracula in this 2-D side scrolling action game. Wallachia: Reign of Dracula combines elements from classic 8- and 16-bit titles like Castlevania and Contra, and it’s available on Switch and PC (reviewed on Switch here).
Alpaca Ball All Stars (Switch, PC)
Posted on December 7th, 2020 by
Play soccer with alpacas in this crazy sports multiplayer party game for Switch and PC (reviewed on Switch here). It’s wacky and alpac-ey simple silly fun for all ages.
Video Game Themed Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornaments 2020
Posted on December 4th, 2020 by
Hallmark always has a wide annual selection of new Christmas ornaments and series, and in the past few years they’ve even done video game related ones! This year they had more than ever, and I got most of them, so I thought I’d share them with you here. Most are from Nintendo games.
