The New GamerDad.com
Posted on April 5th, 2008 by
My fellow Gamer Parents - if you’ve come to GamerDad.com looking for our review archive and our spashy archive page you’re probably wondering why you’re here instead. The reason is simple, this is home now. We’re integrating GamerDad.com with the GamingwithChildren blog for a variety of reasons - some of them having to do with my heart attack of last September, but most of them having to do with my concentrating on what we do best. What I do best. And that’s reflecting, interpreting, and analyzing the video game industry - while helping parents navigate these confusing waters. That’s what we’re doing. Come inside to find out more.
CLICK HERE FOR TO FIND OUR OLD REVIEWS.
GamerDad.com is renowned for its archive and the pioneering concepts of “Going Beyond the ESRB” and “Kid Factor” where we post a content review at the end of a critical review. Our rivals, Common Sense Media and What They Play have emulated their own versions of this and last year Disney had me create their “Parents Need To Know” concept - which is based on my Kid Factor.
Somehow we outdid CommonSense Media - a moneyed non-profit with a board that reads like a “Who’s Who” of parental experts and advocates - and posted more game reviews over the past three years then they did. (Disclosure, as recently as last month I wrote reviews occasionally for CSM.)
We’re good at reviews. We’ll still be doing it, but from a parental/family play perspective.
I apologize to all of you who’ll miss our Review Archive and what we brought to the table. I leave you in capable hands (CSM and WhatTheyPlay). The fact is, GamerDad might run by me, but it is powered by a handful of volunteers. People I’m endebted to forever. We launched in 2003 and in that time we’ve published over 1200 reviews and hundreds of articles. The best of that content is going to appear here, on every business day, until we hit our Father’s Day anniversary. It’ll be clearly marked “Retro” to warn you that you might be reading older content.
What about our Review Archive?
Well, I’ve found a buyer and will be able to announce who that is sometime soon. Our content will change probably - the buyer has a different format - but I’m proud and happy to say that the money made on this deal will go to reward our reviewers. Something I’m very gratified to finally get to do.
In a world that has WhatTheyPlay.com, CommonSenseMedia.org, GameProFamily.com, and a handful more, GamerDad simply cannot compete. So, you’ll find me working for them, helping them, and concentrating on continuing to influence this debate as best I can.
And I can.
I have some announcements that’ll knock your socks off!
Welcome to the new GamerDad.com. We’re proud to present GamingwithChildren - now and forever. Excelsior!
December 9th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
On the scale of 1-10 (10 baddest) how bad/violent is Halo 3?
December 16th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
hi - please give me some advice - my sons are 10 and 7. my 10 year old has played Oblivion IV at my brother’s house - but my brother has reset the violent bits, so there’s no blood and gore. It wasn’t my choice, but I know my brother’s a good dad, and wouldn’t let them play something bad. My ex let my kids watch The Dark Knight on the weekend and I flipped out - he has countered with the opinion that Oblivion IV is worse. I don’t know. Would YOU let a seven year old watch Dark Knight? I’m not looking for you to arbitrate our ongoing crap, I just really need to know from someone who is more knowledgeable about these things than me. Am I overreacting?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 pm
ya im 13 and i want to play halo 3. i only want to play online, but i might play th main game. also is there an option to turn off the other peoples voices? also why is it rated M? blood and gore shouldn’t be rated M. i do know about the grunts and there bad language. =(
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
i just posted that because this new site dosnt have a very good site map!
December 28th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
This site is horrible and promotes ageism as well as making it sound like “children” are different then “adults”, which they are not. You people should burn in hell for making it.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Woah! Dude, GamerDad answered your post (did you email it too?!?) on his excellent Ask GamerDad column. “http://www.whattheyplay.com/features/ask-gamerdad-january-16-2009/”
GamerDad Says:
Well, adults tend to be bigger than “children.” And I doubt an adult would write this letter – so there’s one big difference. Maturity. It’s something most people gain as you slowly change from a boy (or girl) to a man (or woman). Also this letter is odd because I think it’s obvious that what they do here at What They Play and what I do at Gamerdad.com are intended to help kids and parents (mostly parents). I’m sorry if this has made your parents stricter, but since “children” are very different from “adults” – we’re clearly doing a good thing here.
And lastly, I’d like to talk about “ageism.” My wife is a Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist. She specializes in all the ways “old people” are different from “children” and “adults.” Ageism mainly refers to people who disenfranchise the elderly or young based on their age. Sometimes this is reasonable (no 10-year old airplane pilots please) and sometimes it’s cruelty or neglect. One thing it does not describe is the unfairness faced by kids who think the ESRB’s “Mature” rating makes a game better. Stick to the “Teen” or “Everyone 10+” stuff for now, you’ll have plenty of decades to play M-rated games.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:05 am
Look, Mr. Anonymous “God Hates Ageism” guy, I’m a kid (12 years old), and I enjoy games which are ESRB Teen and over, because they often have quality which games made specifically FOR kids often lack. I’m not saying they’re all amazing, I’m just saying that, while about 6/10 of T+ games are worth playing, only about 1/20 games (at most) made for kids are fun for hardcore gamers (Wii bowling, anyone?). Over the years, I’ve amassed a selection of games which, through reviews, I know are fun and high quality, thanks to reviews, regardless of age. My parents let me get games for older audiences because they think I’m mature enough to handle them (not anything twisted like Manhunt or Postal, though, or with tons of swearing). Note: I’m not saying that games which young kids can play are bad, just games made with a young child in mind. Games like Geometry Wars and Zelda are fun and high-quality, and they’re directed at all age groups
Man, there’s only one type of child gamer that really makes sure kids hardly every get to play games rated for older audiences: Kids like you. Man, you’re just PROVING that children are too immature to play games for older people. Saying that “this site is horrible” and that the makers should “burn in hell for making it” is just proving that you’re an immature, vindictive, angry and possibly unstable human being; the last kind of person ANYONE wants playing something like Gears of War. And, on top of that, you use ageism as an excuse to get mad at the site? That’s the most pathetic excuse I’ve ever heard to be angry and irrational. Ever.
You know all of those stories about kids doing horrible things to people thanks to video games? Those stories that are oh-so-popular on hardcore parental watchdog sites? Allow me to paint you a picture: the ESRB/PEGI/BBFC, etc. are rating a new game. It’s oozing with polish, fun to the last second, and a complete blockbuster experience, all in all. Now, based on survey results, research and play-testing the game, they think that it should be either T or M. They’re about to say it’s a T, which most kids can buy, but then some new data comes in. Hundreds of thousands of posts, just like yours, full of pointless anger and hinting at volatility in the average child of today. Then, the ESRB think: “Well, if this person’s unstable, angry and impressionable, they might just DO some of the violent things in this game, and then make up some horrible excuse afterwards. The tabloids’ll leap on the story, saying the kid’s innocent, and then they’ll point the finger at us, because we didn’t recommend it for an older audience”. Would you like ther to happen? I don’t know, but I sure as hell don’t. So please, think before you rage-post. For the sake of kids who prefer a good game of Gears online to Wii Sports any day.
PS: If you’re going to pointlessly attempt slamming a site for ageism, at least use correct grammar. It’s “different to adults”, not “different then adults”. Then maybe you’re idiotic attempt at sounding like a rational, trustworthy adult, or a mature child, would work slightly better.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
When will there be a review of Fable 2?
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 am
I’m a 12 year old, and I am asking my parents for an XBoz 360 for my birthday, but I dont know if my parents would let me get any of the good games for it. They said they probubly wont let me get Call of Duty 5. My dad says he might not even let me get Halo Wars. My parents only dont like it if its shooting real people, or lots of blood and gore. Do you have any suggestions?
PS:(Puzzle Games dont count as games ^^)
March 4th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Hey my names Eric (13) have you heard of resident evil 5 gamerdad and if so on a scale of 1-10 10 being worst would it be and also on a scale of 1-10 on grand theft auto 4 and saints row 2.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I am a 12 year old kid and what i have to say is M rated games are better than T and E games. I currently own Grand Theft Auto 4, Halo 3, Call of duty world at war, Dead Space, Fallout 3, Left 4 dead, and Resistance 2. All of those games Are M rated although some of them have disturbing images they are fun games if youre not scared of it. My PSN is blueboomerscash and my Xbox live gamertag is klassic1
March 9th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
P.S. i just got my Xbox 360 so the only M rated game i have for it is GTA4. The others are for PS3
March 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
P.P.S. send me a friend request ^ ^
March 20th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I salute you Taimur
March 21st, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Hmmmm…..Thats kind of ridiculous Mr. Anonymous. Now I realize that this may not be the case, but it sounds like you’re a 1. 8-13 year-old who wanted to play 2. Grand Theft Auto 4, Saints Row 2, Call of Duty 4/World at War, Halo 3, Gears of War 1/2, Bioshock, or Resistance. Now, as I said, I could be wrong, but that’s what you’re coming off as. Now, if so, you’re parents probably still said no, and you were in a rage and said it was this website’s fault. Hmmmmmm….. You wonder why parents are reluctant to let their children play video games? Because people like you go on websites because you aren’t getting what you want, and they say, “What if my child is like that!? I don’t want him to play Gears of War, because he/she might do that!”
Now, I don’t think ratings should exist. Take HALO 3 for instance. Instead of saying
M-Mature 17+
Blood and Gore
Violence
Mild Language
(Just an FWI, all three HALO’s have basically no language at all, no gore, and very little blood)
It should just say,
(A lot of, A mild amount of, Barely and of)Gore
(A lot of, A mild amount of, Barely and of) Blood
(A lot of, A mild amount of, Barely and of) Harsh Language
(A lot of, A mild amount of, Barely and of) Mild Language
This way, it doesn’t say for a certain age group, giving parents the idea that it is to old for children, but instead lists the things it has, and lets the parent decide if it sounds suitable for the child/teenager.
Anyway, I have strayed from my initial point: Mr. Anonymous, you are the PERFECT example of why teenagers cannot play Gears of War: Because parents see people like you, and think, “The last thing that child needs is to play Manhunt!” Now, you’re claim of ageism is totally unfounded. The definition of ageism is 1. discrimination against persons of a certain age group.
2. a tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment.
Now, I realize that you may think that Gears of War should be for anyone, but at the age of 4, you may not be able to tell the difference between reality and games! You could do serious harm to others, and to you’re own brain! Also, games like Gears of War, (although more F.E.A.R. and Silent Hill) can affect children at school through nightmares which lead to sleep deprivation, among other problems. So you see, this is NOT ageism, but instead the protection of the public. So, if you still have any dignity left, come up with something to say back to this and Taimur’s responses. I am also 12 years old, and am struggling to convince my mother to let me play games like HALO 3, but the difference between you and me is that A) I don’t go on mindless rampages about not being able to play Gears of War, and B) I get good grades in school, As and Bs, so I don’t sound like an uneducated person when I speak online.So please, let us use this utility for the purpose it was created for: Parenting, and as argument advantages. Reply if you will, but it will get you nowhere.
April 18th, 2009 at 8:43 am
This is to Cam- Halo 3= 0.001 for an M rated game
April 27th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
HEY everybody its me again and i agree with Julian theres nothing wrong with a little blood, gore, bloody graphic violence, strong language, sexual situations, nudity and use of drugs and alcohol in video game. Whats wrong with you parents out there GTA IV for example do ypu think your kid is going to change their name to Niko Bellic And walk aroud with a M4 Carbine and shoot random pedestrians. You need to be like My parents, just dont give a $#!&. And i am a Straight “A” student. now go buy your kid the Most Bloodiest, Gory, Vomit enducing game eva!!! I HIGHLY RECCOMEND DEAD SPACE! STILL MY FAVORITE GAME… and im now 13
April 27th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
OH AND I NOW HAVE RESIDENT EVIL 5. WESKER (THE FINAL BOSS) IS A BITCH I SPENT 2 HOURS TRYING TO KILL HIM ON MEDIUM!!!!
May 6th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
klassic, not to disagree but i think you need to gradually allow kids to play violent games and not just through dead space into their laps.
ps. even though this is late, Wesker is easy to kill in Resident Evil 5. 2 hours on medium? nice…
June 29th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
hello Mr. gamer dad. I am 12 and am restricted to own M games. The only m game I have
that is M is Halo 3. I have wanted Call of Duty World at War for a while but under the no M games rule I can’t get it. I have played the game before and felt not at all disturbed or harmed.
Would you consider this game appropriate for a 12 year old?
June 29th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
this is to mynameis (its an older comment) -
technically any game that is rated M is intended for 17 year olds. Although you probably weren’t disturbed by the content, it still probably isn’t appropriate for you to view it. Now I’m not being your mom and saying “wash your hands after your done with halo”, but I can see why your parent’s wouldn’t let you play COD: WAW. It is extremely violent, and the language and content is best kept to the 17+ crowd. Don’t worry, 5 years and you can probably shoot nazi’s whenever you want (as long as its in games)