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.
Bluey: The Video Game (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
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Posted on May 3rd, 2024 by
I freaking love the Bluey TV show! It’s a kids show but has so much to offer for adults, too. The show is set (and animated) in Australia, and stars a family of four cartoon Australian Cattle Dogs, or Blue Heelers for short. The family consists of Bluey, the titular playful and curious six year old, her younger sister Bingo, and their parents: Bandit and Chilli. They all learn lessons through play and imagination, and some of the topics are more serious things that only adults would truly understand. These can range from moving away, infertility, dealing with ADHD, and even death. The show strikes a balance between making things easy for kids to understand, but deep enough to keep adults interested. So when I heard last year they were making a Bluey video game, I tried to get a review copy of it. I wasn’t able to unfortunately. You win some, you lose some. But when I saw the game on sale recently, I decided to get it and review it. Bluey: The Videogame is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Flightpath: Adventures in Venaris (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on May 1st, 2024 by
What happens when you combine a 2-D vertically scrolling shooter with a choose your own adventure book? You get Flightpath: Adventures in Venaris, that’s what. Choose from three different characters, a detective, a mechanic, and a racer (who also happens to be a rabbit) each with their own spaceship and shooting styles. Each character has his or her own story, and depending on which choices you make in the levels, you can alter the story’s outcome. It’s available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Manic Mechanics (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on April 29th, 2024 by
Repair cars as quickly as possible in this madcap multiplayer game. Manic Mechanics takes a lot of inspiration from other games of this ilk, especially Overcooked. But instead of being in a kitchen cooking food, you’re in a garage fixing vehicles. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Welcome to the Princess Peach Showtime Fashion Show!
Posted on April 26th, 2024 by
Princess Peach Showtime is out and in the game, Peach gets a starring role as she dons new outfits in stage plays. So I thought it might be neat to go through all the outfits she has and what they are like. But keep in mind there may be some spoilers here and there, so watch out for that. OK, let’s pull back the curtain and start the show!
Unplugged: Mystery Detective: The Crime Solving Party Game
Posted on April 25th, 2024 by
Before there were these funny electronic devices that seem to be everywhere, I remember road trips where we had to make our own entertainment. One “20 questions”-style game that we played focused on solving a mystery. Players would be given a somewhat obtuse prompt of a situation and must then figure out what happened and why by asking a series of yes/no questions. Mystery Detective collects many of those mystery puzzles, printing a title and subtle picture/clue on one side with the explanation on the back. It currently comes in two flavors: a collection of 100 “classic” riddles (many of which I remember from my childhood) and one based on “Funny Deaths” – a mix of made-up and real-life cases where things went terribly wrong.
Mystery Detective (Vol 1 & 2)
Publisher: Add-A-Game
Players: 2-20
Ages: 14+
Time: 15 min
(review copy provided by publisher)
Pepper Grinder (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 24th, 2024 by
Pepper is an adventurous girl who gets shipwrecked, and pirates steal her treasure! Luckily she finds a drill that she can use to bypass obstacles and defeat enemies. Anyone remember a Game Boy Advance game called Drill Dozer? It was made by GameFreak, who also made a game series you might know of called Pokémon. Anyway, Pepper Grinder kind of reminds me of that game mixed with some Dig Dug style fast action. It’s also a 2D platformer for Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Unplugged: Monkey Business (Boardgame)
Posted on April 23rd, 2024 by
Monkey Business is a bit of a mash-up of the classic games of charades (where you pantomime something) and werewolf (where you’re trying to discover the odd person out in the mix. All but one player (or all but two, if there’s more than 6 players) are given the same activity to perform while the odd ones out, the “scammers” have to just play it by ear to cover up the fact that they don’t know what they should be doing. After a few moments of acting, players then all must accuse a player to be the “scammer” – the one who was just copying everyone else. Players who are correct keep their card, scammers win half of the remaining cards. After six rounds of play the game ends and the player with the most cards is the winner. Monkey Business is a fun little party game that gets people moving. It won’t carry an entire evening of gaming but is good for a short distraction, perhaps to loosen up a group of people who may be taking themselves too seriously.
Monkey Business
Publisher: Add-A-Game
Players: 4-12
Ages: 8+
Time: 15 min
(review copy provided by publisher)
Crypt Stalker (Switch, PC)
Posted on April 22nd, 2024 by
When I was a kid during the NES heyday, Castlevania was huge! Most of my friends either had it or rented it a lot, same with the sequels. Simon Belmont from Castlevania was even a character in the Captain N cartoon (albeit a bit silly). I was never a big fan of Castlevania myself. I wasn’t really into the horror themes and Simon Belmont controlled like he ate a big breakfast before deciding to kill Dracula. But I did get the Castlevania Collection a few years ago (mainly for Kid Dracula). So here comes a retro styled game that was definitely inspired by the Castlevania series. Crypt Stalker has you playing as a female undead slayer, who beats up baddies with her whip and gun. While Castlevania games had a more Victorian horror theme, Crypt Stalker is more Egyptian, with levels set in the desert and pyramids, and enemies like mummies, Anubis monsters, and hopping bugs. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Reader Review: Warhammer 40,000: Dakka Squadron (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on April 19th, 2024 by
Most of my younger brothers LOVE Warhammer. It’s an RPG board game where you play with these intricate figures that you can even paint yourself. I’ve never gotten into it myself, just too complicated (and expensive) for me. But then, anything more complicated than Hungry, Hungry Hippos and my eyes glaze over! Ha ha! Anyway, one of my brothers, Jeff, loves Warhammer so much that he works at a store that specifically sells that stuff! Another one of my brothers, Ben, has a huge collection of figures that he paints (very well I might add). So I thought it would be fun to have Ben review this Warhammer game. It’s available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here. –Cary
Match Village (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on April 17th, 2024 by
Place houses, fields, and other structures on a hexagonal strategy board game-like grid to create your own little town in Match Village. When you set three or more of the same structure together, they’ll match up and upgrade to a better building so you can get more points. This chill and laid back puzzler is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
