GamerDad and family 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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Game Type DX (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S)

According to the press release I got for this game, the story goes that it was originally made to protest an update on the Xbox 360 menu that made it hard to find indie games after wading through all sorts of submenus and ads.  And supposedly this game caused them to fix that.  I don’t necessarily remember that particularly when I had my Xbox 360 hooked up.  But I know every time they did change the dashboard menu, it would make my 360 start up slower and slower.  I miss the days when I could just pop in a game and play.  And honestly, most video game system menus aren’t very good anyway.  But Game Type DX is a silly horizontally scrolling bullet hell shooter that you can now play on current systems, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Maggie the Magnet (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)

Maggie is a scientist who likes to experiment with magnetic fields.  And luckily for Maggie, she’s also a magnet!  Help Maggie by turning off and on her magnetic field to navigate around mazes in her lab.  Maggie the Magnet is available on all current game systems and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Shovel Knight Dig (Switch, iOS, PC)

Yacht Club Games has really seen success with their indie title Shovel Knight.  The original game seamlessly blended challenging NES style gameplay with one of the best 8-bit soundtracks since Mega Man.  And there have been lots of fun spin-offs, too, like a Smash style fighter and a puzzle game.  And now they’re dabbling into roguelikes with Shovel Knight Dig.  In the game, the evil Drill Knight has stolen Shovel Knight’s loot bag and escaped underground, and now his tunnels are causing earthquakes up above.  So as Shovel Knight, you must dig down to face him!  Shovel Knight Dig blends elements from the original game along with some from classics like Dig Dug and Mr. Driller, and presents them in a randomly generated level format where each run is different every time!  It’s currently available on Switch, iOS, and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Restless Soul (Switch, PC)

You have just recently passed away and are now a ghost in the Afterlife World.  But you have unfinished business in the real world so you want to go back.  You hear about a portal to the world of the living, but it’s guarded by the evil ruler of the Afterlife: Dr. Krull.  You must collect eight keys to open the portal in this mix of RPG exploration and…twin stick shooting?  This retro-styled black and white adventure game is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

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Wind of Shuriken (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)

You are a cyber ninja samurai caught up in an interplanetary war across a solar system in the distant future.  Run, jump, climb, and slash your way through 2-D stages and shooter levels reminiscent of classic arcade and console titles like Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden.  Wind of Shuriken is available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Pac-Man x Kura Sushi

There’s a chain of conveyor belt sushi restaurants called Kura Sushi.  When you go there, if you eat enough sushi plates, you can win little prizes!  And from the beginning of September to the end of October 2022, you can get prizes based on Pac-Man.  So you know I had to go.  So last month on my birthday, that’s exactly what me and my family did!  I took lots of pictures, so be sure to check it out!

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LEGO Brawls (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC, Mobile)

Customize your LEGO Minifigures with hundreds of options and pit them against others in fights with LEGO Brawls.  It’s a Smash Bros. style fighting game available for all current consoles, PC, and mobile, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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Narona Sports (Switch)

Play a handful of sports in colorful 2-D areas with Narona Sports on Switch.  Unlike most sports games, where you view the action in 3-D or in top down fashion, here it’s a side scrolling affair and kind of reminds me of a game I reviewed earlier this year called Kung-Fu Kickball.  You’ll play games like Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, and even some I’ve never heard of like Ulama and Basque Ball.

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My Pac-Man World Experience

Pac-Man World: Re-Pac was recently released, and it’s a remake of Pac-Man World, a 3-D platformer originally on the PSOne to celebrate Pac-Man’s 20th anniversary.  Pac-Man World may not be one of my favorite Pac-Man games, but I have a lot of special memories about it that I thought I’d share with you in this blog.  Plus my opinion on the remake, what has changed and stayed the same, etc.  So grab a bowl of Pac-Dots and let’s get chomping!

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Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath (PS4, Switch)

Wow, now that’s a mouthful of a title!  But what does all that mean?  Well, “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid” is a popular Japanese comic book manga series and anime cartoon.  It’s about an ordinary office lady who one day stumbles on a dragon from another world.  This dragon magically transforms into a maid lady and offers to clean her house in return for room and board.  But when you’ve got a dragon in your house, nothing is ever ordinary and Miss Kobayashi and her dragon girl friends have lots of adventures and escapades together.  And now they’re in their own video game!  Here they are trapped inside a computer and the only way to get out is to play a 2-D vertically scrolling bullet hell shooter!  It’s available on PS4 and Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here.

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