Video game reviewer (and commentary guy) Gus Mastrapa just welcomed his first son into his home a couple of weeks ago. Naturally, as a video game guy, your first thought is “this life is over.” But, as Mastrapa finds out, having a newborn is a great time for gaming, even if you don’t know what the future holds.

“I imagined a life without videogames and metal shows,” says Mastrapa in his Unwinnable piece (linked below). “I tried to imagine how I’d fit into that kind of life, not because I thought that all of those things would be gone from my life with the arrival of my new offspring, but because I had, and still do, have a hard time imagining the degree to which my life would change.”

In August 2012, we pointed out an Icelandic study that found older dads are more likely to have autistic kids. New research now says that the older a man is when he conceives his child, the more likely it is that autism will show up in his grandchildren.

Because we know you want to have to think about multiple generations while piping out the baby batter.

A New Jersey father got a visit from the police and the NJ Department of Children and Families after posting a picture on Facebook of his son holding his birthday present – a .22 caliber rifle.

The New Jersey Police and the Department of Children and Families declined follow-ups with the media, but the DCF did say that they follow-up on tips they receive from the public.

In our series Old Games for New Kids, we suggest a great past-generation game to play with your new-generation children.

Rampage (1988)
by Data East – NES (and more, see below)

The beauty of old Nintendo games is that the two-button limitation kept games simple. In Rampage, you play as either Lizzie the giant lizard, George, the King Kong clone, or Ralph, a giant warewolf. You’re presented with a couple of blocks-worth of cityscape per level, and in the simplest of terms, you destroy it. You climb buildings and punch holes in them, often discovering food and traps inside. You can also smash the cars, tanks and helicopters that chase you as you move city to city.

Episode 046: Soft Touch Schneider

This week’s episode covers some of the awesome stories written by other fathers around the internets for the week leading up to February 17th, 2013: Why You Should Sign The Amazon Mom Petition / Two New Reports Find Dads Are… Cool

Check out the audio only version of this episode above.

When my wife and I first found out that we were going to have a kid, we instantly became aware of the “parenting class” industry that had existed in our community for years without ever attracting our attention. Suddenly, there were all of these flyers, newspapers ads, and emails, offering us practical parenting instruction in friendly classroom settings.

And, as new parents-to-be, we were game for them. Almost immediately, we signed up for the childbirth class, the baby care and CPR class, the “how to install a car seat” class, the breastfeeding class, you name it.

(The only classes I remember us opting out of were the “baby massage” class and the “parenting for dads” class, which I found more than a little insulting.)

Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman, a dude that was firmly opposed to gay marriage, has now reconsidered his stance after learning that his son is gay.

“It allowed me to think of this issue from a new perspective,” Portman told reporters, “and that’s of a Dad who loves his son a lot and wants him to have the same opportunities that his brother and sister would have — to have a relationship like Jane and I have had for over 26 years.”

Portman is the first Senate Republican to back gay marriage.