Hey folks! Got a very special podcast for you today! 30 years ago this summer, I started writing game reviews for a major newspaper, and I’ve written game reviews for other newspapers and websites ever since! When I did this for my 20 year anniversary, I just wrote a blog, so I figured I’d be different this time and do a podcast. So come join me as I share my favorite memories and experiences writing game reviews for 30 years!
This batch of GamerDad reviews I’ve recently written focuses a lot on Super Mario Bros. Wonder stuff, hence the title of this blog. It also has kind of a Spring theme, with lots of articles involving flowers, birds, and um, fish. So please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. OK let’s begin!
I know I said I'd be blogging more regularly, but it's been an insanely busy season at the park. We had major construction going on to update some very old infrastructure, and that cut our parking down from 80ish parking spaces to 40ish parking spaces. We're one of the ten busiest state parks in the state now, and I spent most of my time doing traffic control. Yellow safety vest and all. Anyway, back to 80ish parking spaces, a new entrance booth (with electricity!!! Never had that before, lol), and a new bathroom building. Both were desperately needed. And now I have 17 days left of my season, then it's off to work in the local, independent pet supply store down the road, after a well deserved sanity break.
One last review blog dump for the end of the year. Here’s some more reviews I’ve written recently at GamerDad.com. Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. OK let’s begin!

Welcome to the final listener interactive episode of Nerds Without Pants of 2023! It’s a fun discussion about our favorite third party accessories. This is a wild ride you’re about to embark on. We also have an NWP Video Game Cage Match Championship bout between Winter Heat and Elden Ring. Elden Ring has been a strong champ. Can it retain as we go into the new year? Listen and find out!
I've seen several of these "Comic Book Story of" books lately. I've read one on the history of pinball and now this one on video games. It's surprisingly good and enormously fun to read and see.
Wow, I haven't stopped in here in forever! How is everybody?
During my temporary work layoff, I've sometimes visited a museum or game store/arcade. Here's the story in pictures.
That's RetroCon Philly, PA, in the town of Oaks where there is a large convention center in the suburbs. I actually went to two conventions last saturday, RetroCon and a Sports Card Convention. I tagged along with my friend and his dad to the sports card con, and then my friend and I went to RetroCon right next door. Here's some snaps and stories.
It's always a comfort knowing this website still runs and the community still supports it. There's nothing but shame and bad excuses from me. It's nonsensical, too: professing my enjoyment of a website even though I don't do enough as a member. I can always take comfort in the fact that it's super laid back (unless someone in the comments corrects me on that opinion ;) )
How primitive were graphics in video games in their early days? Some games didn't even have graphics. Instead, these games had textual descriptions of your environments and the on-screen action. You interacted with these games using a command prompt.

Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! We don’t have anything new to talk about when it comes to what we’ve played, but Justin rises to the challenge by debuting not one, but two new segments. We also begin the semi-finals of the Video Game Cage Match championship tournament. Spread it on!
It seems, every once in a while, I get on a list kick with games, music, or film and can't stop researching and making them. Well, I'm on a list binge right now with games.
It was my friend's birthday today and so we hung out and played games. Here's what I played.

