New Dad Gaming

Can your kids finish the classic parent threats? Jeff and Trevor find out — and the answers are heartwarming.   This week starts with a social media trend we couldn't resist: parents asking their kids to finish old-school sayings like "as long as you live under my roof..." and "I'll give you something to..." The kids have absolutely no idea. Trevor and Jeff test their own recall against the trauma of the past, and the takeaway is surprisingly sweet — this generation's kids just don't know those threats because modern dads aren't using them anymore.   Then Trevor drops an update on Infinite Craft — the browser-based word mashup game we covered last week. Turns out there's no kid-safe mode, and looking over his eight-year-old's shoulder revealed some very adult word combinations. Laptops were shut, the game was banned, and Jeff confesses his teen already "made everything" in the game. The eternal dad question: do you ask what they saw, or let a sleeping dog lie?   Jeff hits a milestone nobody's excited about: h

Jeff's mid-combat in Kingdom Come Deliverance when everything goes blocky. A quick router check reveals his teen is downloading 100 gigs and pulling 10x the bandwidth. Then comes the plot twist: Trevor secretly set the router to prioritize gaming traffic — meaning his kid's download got VIP treatment because of dad's own settings. Self-own of the year. From there, Trevor reveals he has a retro console secretly shipping to the house. Problem: his son just bombed his grades and is banned from all games. Now dad's staying up late coaching him through exams — not because he's a great dad, but because he desperately wants to hand over the surprise. Jeff one-ups him with his own tale of self-inflicted punishment: IMAX tickets to Project Hail Mary, snacks packed, ready to pull the kids from school — then the kids acted up and he had to cancel. On himself. We pitch the ultimate generational escape room: it's 1994, and you have to survive the internet. Download an MP3 without someone picking up the phone. Print Ma

Jeff survived the family plague (barely), and this week we're recording live — poems and all. This episode kicks off with a live poem creation featuring the Steam Deck and Skate 3. From there, Jeff shares how the Steam Deck was his lifeline while sick on the couch: full Steam library plus PS5 streaming, all from under the blankets. We compare it to the consoles that shaped our lives — the Game Boy SP, the PSP, and why portability matters more than ever for gaming dads. Then we dig into Pokémon Pocketopia on the Switch 2. Jeff's family is all-in and Trevor might not be far behind. We break down what it is (Minecraft meets Pokémon in a post-apocalyptic world), the Switch 2's GameShare feature that lets you play co-op from a Switch 1, and whether this could be the next Animal Crossing for families. Jeff's kid discovered Skate 3 on Game Pass and asked dad for help beating a challenge. 100+ hours of muscle memory kicked in — double kickflips, dark slides, 920s. The kid walked out of the room. Trevor confesse

The New Dads dive into a great listener email covering why it's time to kick Roblox to the curb, the magic of the Steam Deck on snow days, and fan-made Pokémon ROM hacks. We also debate the perfect birthday gift for an 8-year-old (Switch 2 vs. Meta Quest 3), discuss whether the Pokémon TCG Mobile app is just a digital pack addiction, and look ahead at the massive hype surrounding Crimson Desert. Finally, we come to terms with the harsh reality that our kids are already better at Hades than we ever were. Connect With Us: Have a gaming dad fail, success, or "headshake moment" to share? We want to hear from you!

Welcome back to New Dad Gaming! This week, Trevor and Jeff are surviving the wild energy of their kids—who are currently acting like Red Bull-fueled boars at a banquet. With the family adjusting to life down in Medellín, the guys discuss bribing the kids with $100 to learn Spanish on Duolingo and how this educational "loophole" is racking up screen time. We also dive into the beautiful peace of a post-Roblox household, which has led the kids right back to the classics like Pokémon Sword and EA FC. On the adult gaming front, Nintendo is testing our patience (and wallets) by charging a premium for retro Pokémon Fire Red ports, Trevor confesses to a slightly guilty relapse into Marvel Snap, Jeff returns to the Final Fantasy 14 grind, and we confront the terrifying reality of a 15-year-old pirating Balatro on school computers. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-dad-gaming/id1107330772 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/434cj9ksKBnX6aY2aBZ6Uw Others on Our Website: https://newdadgaming.

This week, Jeff is hustling as an Uber driver for his kids and subtly suggests they buy Skyrim VR, Trevor finished Hades 2 and is caught between endgame content and some retro fun with Pokemon Fire Red, and Trevor pulls a fast one as the dealer during a game of Flip 7 for a good cause. Subscribe to the Podcast!   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-dad-gaming/id1107330772 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/434cj9ksKBnX6aY2aBZ6Uw Others on Our Website: https://newdadgaming.com/ #podcast #podcaster #podcasting #fatherhood #gaming #dadgaming

What happens when your teenager gets caught playing a bootleg version of Balatro on school computers? Do you ground them, or are you secretly a little proud?

We are back for 2026! After a year-long challenge of purchasing zero new video games in 2025, Trevor and Jeff break down the aftermath. Did we survive the FOMO? What is the first game we bought in 2026? In this episode, we dive into the "Dad Dust" of getting back behind the mic, the joy of finally playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and Hades 2, and the promising horizon of 2026 releases like Fable and potential Witcher 3 DLC. We also discuss the state of gaming in our households: from successfully banning Roblox, to our kids discovering Skyrim with heavy mods, to the hilarious realization our children had while playing WWE 2K24—that you used to be able to unlock characters just by playing the game. Finally, Jeff shares his newfound obsession with Valheim on the Steam Deck and why its "beautiful ugly" aesthetic is perfect for gaming dads. Timestamps: 00:00 – Dusting off the mics: We are back for 2026! 00:03 – The "No New Games in 2025" Challenge: The Verdict 00:06 – Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 & The F

Welcome to Episode 381 of New Dad Gaming! The 2025 "No New Games" challenge is finally complete, and the floodgates are open. In this 2026 kickoff special, Trevor and Jeff break down the massive list of games they denied themselves last year and the upcoming titles they can't wait to pre-order. We discuss the shifting landscape of 2026, including the looming release of GTA 6, the slump in console sales, and why we are both pivoting toward handhelds like the PlayStation Portal and Steam Deck to fit gaming into dad life. We also do a live "Google Search" deep dive into the top PC games coming this year, debating everything from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 to cozy farming sims like Fantasy Life. Plus, we discuss what a household looks like after a Roblox Ban and whether Fortnite or Star Wars Jedi will take its place. Topics Covered: The Floodgates Open: How it feels to finally be allowed to buy games again. Hardware Shift: Why we are ignoring the PS6 rumors to focus on Portable Gaming (Steam Deck & PS Po

In this final episode of 2025, Trevor and Jeff wrap up their year-long experiment: The "No New Games" Challenge. We break down whether we succeeded in clearing our backlogs or if we just stopped playing altogether. We also dive into the chaos of Christmas morning—from the quantity vs. quality gift debate to why one dad opted for a retro handheld emulator over a PS5. Plus, we discuss the "dark side" of kids' gaming in 2025, including why Robloxfinally got banned in the household, the surprising rise of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) among teenagers, and why Chess is making a comeback. Whether you are a dad trying to manage screen time or a gamer staring at an intimidating Steam backlog, this episode is for you. Topics Covered: The Christmas Haul: Why we bought retro handhelds and "dumb" smartwatches instead of current-gen consoles. The Cookie Experiment: Why kids prefer 10 small gifts over one expensive one (Funko Pops vs. PS5). Kids Gaming Trends: The rise of Fortnite, the fall of Roblox, and the wholesome

Are digital currencies like Robux and V-Bucks ruining the magic of Christmas morning? In this episode of New Dad Gaming, Trevor and Jeff discuss the struggle of buying gifts for kids who only want digital skins, the sadness of not having physical games to unwrap, and the controversial reason Jeff is considering banning Roblox from his house entirely. Plus, Trevor is moving his family to Colombia for the winter! We break down the logistics of traveling with gaming gear. Is it better to pack a PS5, an Xbox Series S, or just buy a Steam Deck? We also touch on handling bad grades during the holidays—do you ground your kids from gaming over Christmas break?  

The New Dads review this years nominees for Game of The Year - a fun experience given they've played none during their year of no games. However, if nothing else it helps fill out their wish list once their self imposed exile is over.

It’s full-on dad mode: both households hand out no-game punishments after kids try to sneak Roblox and skip chores, sparking a conversation about clear consequences, consistency, and what it means when your kids don’t even argue the punishment - because they know the rules.   On the gaming front, Steam drops a bomb with three new hardware announcements:   A redesigned Steam Controller built from Steam Deck learnings The tiny Steam “Machine” console promising 4K living room gaming and killer value versus PS5/Switch The Steam Frame VR headset, aiming to shake up Meta’s dominance and revive PC VR excitement     Jeff breaks down why the new controller’s trackpads are a quiet superpower for strategy and mouse-heavy games, how the Steam Machine could finally make PC libraries living-room friendly for dads, and whether the Steam Frame has enough going for it to tempt lapsed VR users. Plus: Jeff’s patience on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 pays off in a big “all DLC included” edition, and the guys argue over whi

Arc Raiders is the hot new extraction shooter everyone’s talking about… and the community is actually nice?!

This week the dads discuss expensive Fortnite skins, introducing Breaking Bad to an eldest, and dream a little dream of games they will have. This week features some solid pumpkin beer to boot!

The Dads are back with pumpkin in their beer, With notes from listeners they definitely hold dear. Breaking the bank with a skin from Fortnite, And will a kid save for a Playstation? He just might.

Trevor and Jeff kick off October with a live taste test of a 10% pumpkin ale (it goes… badly), celebrate the pure joy of Hades II (with “God Mode” as the ultimate dad setting), recap a wholesome Hollow Knight all-night kids’ sleepover, and confess to using Final Fantasy VIII cheats to finally experience the story—25 years later. We wrap with a classic “beat your kids (while you still can)” dad-race anecdote.   If you’re a gaming father (or future one) figuring out how to balance kids, work, and your backlog—this one’s for you.  

We did it: our once-a-year in-person episode! Trevor and Jeff awkwardly remember how to record without Zoom, swap Toronto trip stories, and dive into dad-mode gaming topics: Hades II’s launch, whether it breaks our “no new games” pact, accessibility/difficulty debates (Hollow Knight: Silksong, Elden Ring), letting a 15-year-old buy games on Steam, and the most dad-brained Fortnite setup ever (Xbox cloud streaming, Moonlight/Sunshine, PS Remote Play, and split-screen drama).   If you’re a gaming parent juggling time, tech, and teens—this one’s for you.   Join the conversation What’s your ruling on “no new games” if you paid during Early Access? When did you let your teen buy their own games—any ground rules? Your best (or worst) living-room co-op/streaming setup?  

Welcome to New Dad Gaming, the show where Trevor and Jeff prove that becoming a dad doesn’t mean game over.

Kids back in school, dads back in space. This week on New Dad Gaming, Trevor and Jeff swap school drop-off war stories, crack seasonal beers, dive into No Man’s Sky “Voyagers” (ship interiors! group missions! biomes!), pine for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and—dad confession—Trevor actually buys a Fortnite skin.   If you’re a gaming parent balancing family life with your backlog, you’re in the right place.