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.
Dagger Froggy (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
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Posted on April 16th, 2025 by
Help a little frog defeat waves of enemies by throwing daggers in Dagger Froggy, a top down viewed 2D retro action game. It’s available on all current game consoles and PC but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cozy Land (Switch)
Posted on April 14th, 2025 by
Earlier this year I reviewed a game on Switch that let you design your own room. Then a few weeks later I reviewed another one that let you design your own shop. And now you can design your own street corner with Cozy Land on Switch.
Super Mario Easter Basket
Posted on April 11th, 2025 by
Many stores nowadays have a selection of pre-made Easter baskets you can buy, and while at Target I saw a Mario themed one for only 20 bucks. So I decided to get it and show you all what’s inside.
West Lafayette Game Con
Posted on April 10th, 2025 by
Our local high school has an enthusiastic mentor for its boardgaming club. Once a year, they put on an all-day boardgaming fundraiser, open to the community. As a parent and boardgame fan, I typically chip in and help out. This year, the fundraiser was for the back-to-school program that provides school supplies (and clothes, etc…) to needy students at the start of each school year. The event recommended a $10 donation to attend and sold snacks (chips, drinks, popcorn, pizza donated from a local place, etc…) to raise additional funds. Parents (like myself) could also donate used boardgames which were sold for additional funds. (I somehow managed to donate quite a few games from old reviews and didn’t go home with more than I brought…) The entire event was pretty low-key and since it was open to the public there were several families in attendance that were introduced to modern boardgames for the first time. For those not sure what to play, there were three tournaments over the course of the day, with small donated prizes from local businesses. While I only assisted with the game day, and didn’t run the whole thing, it really wasn’t too hard to pull off. If you have connections with your local school, I highly recommend giving a game-day fundraiser a try. It supports a good cause but also gives a great opportunity to introduce your community to the fun of modern boardgaming.
Ringo’s Roundup (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 9th, 2025 by
Ringo is a bunny who happens to also be a postal worker. Help him drive around collecting all the letters and returning them to the mailbox in this puzzle game for Switch and PC (reviewed on Switch here).
Unplugged: Baldur’s Gate Minis FTW
Posted on April 8th, 2025 by
The WizKids line of role playing game miniatures is back. After releasing a set celebrating the past 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons, they have now just released a line featuring people and creatures from the popular Baldur’s Gate 3 videogame. Last summer saw the release of a 50th Anniversary set which is fun from a nostalgic collector’s standpoint, but I think the Baldur’s Gate 3 set is the best set I’ve seen in a long time. One of the drawbacks to randomly assorted miniatures is the need to create many different things in order to offer up something new in each box. This can result in opening up a box to find rather specialized miniatures that may be hard to casually work into a game. Both of these sets specialize in the common sorts of creatures one might find in an everyday game of D&D. A half-crystal elf from the far realm (I made that up, feel free to rip it off, Wizkids) may look really cool as a mini, but just how many times am I going to be able to work that into my adventure? With the Baldur’s Gate 3 release, most every box has something I know I’ll be using in the near future.
Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on April 7th, 2025 by
A long time ago, an evil demon king and his armies ransacked the land. When the demon king was defeated, the armies disbanded but there are some demon stragglers here and there. You play as a young man who just discovered his ancestry and is now a lord. So you must lead your troops into battle to rid the world of demons for good. Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn is a unique combination of deckbuilding, simple action battles, and hexagonal board style strategy. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Care Bears: Unlock the Magic (Switch, PS4, PS5)
Posted on April 4th, 2025 by
There are many toy lines that came out in the 80s when I was a kid that are still popular today. Some examples would be Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, etc. Another example that I didn’t know was still around until recently was Care Bears. That was huge when I was a kid, and they had lots of toys, plush, several cartoons, and even some movies! I think even I saw the first Care Bears movie when I was a kid (I remember it being surprisingly dark), and that movie even made more money than the Disney cartoon film it was competing against (granted that Disney movie was The Black Cauldron, but still). Now Care Bears are making a comeback and late last year I reviewed a 2D platformer starring the bunch. And now they have a new installment featuring an assortment of arcade style mini-games. Care Bears: Unlock the Magic is available on Switch and PlayStation consoles, but reviewed on Switch here.
Bubble Ghost Remake (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 2nd, 2025 by
When I was a kid, one of my favorite stores to go into in the mall was Babbages. I don’t think they’re around anymore, but they were kind of like a precursor to GameStop. They sold video games but mostly computer software and stuff. I didn’t really buy too many computer games then, but I still liked to look at the boxes because that’s how we found out about games before the Internet a lot of times. One of the game boxes that caught my eye was Bubble Ghost. It had two things I liked in games: bubbles (like in Bubble Bobble) and ghosts (like in Pac-Man). But I never got around to buying that game. Not sure why. Maybe it was too expensive and I didn’t think it was worth the money. A few years later they made a version of it on the Game Boy, but I never got around to buying it either. There were a few years as a kid that I didn’t buy a whole lot of Game Boy stuff, and I don’t really remember seeing it in a store anyway. So I never got to try Bubble Ghost. So that’s why I’m glad that I got to review this remake. It adds fancy hand drawn graphics and new levels and gameplay ideas. Basic gist is that you are a ghost and try to blow a bubble around obstacles and keep it from popping. Bubble Ghost Remake is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
S. Prysm Destroyer (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on March 31st, 2025 by
Pilot a mech and mow down robots with streams of bullets while you collect power-ups in S. Prysm Destroyer. It’s an anime inspired 2D run and gun platformer available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
