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New Dad Gaming

New Dad Gaming

By: Trevor Alexander & Jeff Smalley
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Summary

New Dad Gaming | The Podcast for Gaming Dads Since 2015

Just because you became a dad doesn't mean it's game over.

New Dad Gaming is the longest-running podcast for dads who game. Hosted by Trevor Alexander and Jeff Smalley since 2015, NDG is where gaming meets fatherhood — real talk about finding game time, playing with your kids, navigating screen time, and keeping your favorite hobby alive through the chaos of raising a family.

Every week we cover the games worth your limited time, co-op picks for playing with kids, hardware that fits a dad budget, and the hilarious reality of gaming while parenting. Whether you're sneaking in 30 minutes after bedtime or building a Minecraft world with your 8-year-old, this show is for you.

380+ episodes. Two dads. One rule: Game Over is not an option.

Copyright 2026 New Dad Gaming. All rights reserved. Parenting & Families Politics & Government Relationships Science Fiction
Episodes
  • Ep. 391: Bedtime Monopoly Massacre, Console Dust, & FFXIV Free Trials

    Ep. 391: Bedtime Monopoly Massacre, Console Dust, & FFXIV Free Trials
    May 6 2026

    Welcome to New Dad Gaming, where the adult beverages are poured, the kids are (mostly) asleep, and we’re figuring out our gaming lives! This week, Trevor and Jeff read an amazing email from a fellow "Rad Dad" and Less Than Jake fan, proving that passing down your musical taste to your kids is a beautiful—and sometimes surreal—experience.

    Then, things get a little savage. Have you ever absolutely destroyed your kid in a game of Monopoly Deal or Mario Party just because you needed to mow the lawn or enforce bedtime? We confess our darkest dad-gaming sins and discuss what happens when the kids start bringing the smack talk.

    We also tackle a tough realization: the family living room console might be gathering dust. Are iPads, laptops, and mobile games officially replacing the Switch and PlayStation for the next generation? Finally, Jeff explains how he's surviving Final Fantasy XIV as a busy parent. Spoiler: The free trial and NPC party systems are absolute game-changers for gaming dads who might need to step away at a moment's notice.

    In this episode, we cover:

    • Rad Dad Chronicles: A heartwarming listener story from Deadp 7 about concerts, kids, and pop-punk validation.

    • Bedtime Sabotage: The ruthless tactics we use in Monopoly Deal and Mario Party to speed up curfew.

    • The Console Exodus: Why teens and younger kids are abandoning traditional consoles for laptops, phones, and mobile apps.

    • FFXIV for Dads: How to play a massive MMO like a stress-free, single-player game using the free trial and NPC companions.

    • Bonus: A quick chat on using AI to build interactive homework tests for the kids.

    Connect with Us: Have you ever turned up the heat on your kids in a game? Are your family consoles gathering dust? We'd love to hear your story! Reach out and share your experiences with the gaming dad community.

    • Website: newdadgaming.com

    • Socials: @NewDadGaming
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    33 mins
  • Ep. 390: Your Kid's First MP3, Pragmata's Dad Energy & Roller Coasters Are Trying to Kill Me

    Ep. 390: Your Kid's First MP3, Pragmata's Dad Energy & Roller Coasters Are Trying to Kill Me
    Apr 25 2026
    What music do you put on your kid's FIRST MP3 player? Trevor lost sleep over the answer. This week opens with the universal dad experience: "watch this, Dad!" — followed by the kid's setup that NEVER works on the first try. Trevor and Jeff swap stories of standing patiently as 8-year-olds reset Roblox stages and 13-year-olds re-rig the table for the perfect WWE 2K24 finisher. It is, as Jeff puts it, "a waste of my time" you wouldn't trade for anything. Listener "you fall before me" wrote in asking about Pragmata — Capcom's upcoming space-dad shooter where you escort a piggybacking AI girl through a Resident Evil-meets-God of War setup. Trevor and Jeff weren't sold on the trailers, but the dad-game tag is doing the work. Verdict: this one's going on the list. Sessionable, 12-15 hours, dad-coded story. Reach out at newdadgaming.com if you've played it. Then the centerpiece — Trevor bought his oldest a replacement retro console (RIP first one), and the kid asked for music to load onto it. What followed was a parental crisis: deep cuts? popular bangers? things Dad loved at his kid's age? Trevor's final list lands somewhere in the middle: Bruno Mars (radio edit, naturally), Linkin Park (college nostalgia), an Áreva Vega track for the Colombian side of the family, Mariah Carey, White Stripes, 21 Pilots, and his guilty pleasure — Less Than Jake's "Science of Selling Yourself Short." Jeff shares the Just Dance pipeline that got his kids into Queen and AC/DC, and the perennial dad fantasy: bring back Rock Band. In the L column: Jeff's Gaming Dad Loss with My Little Puppy. His 13-year-old asked for it (it reminded them of the family dog), Jeff bought it the moment it went on sale, and on birthday morning the kid politely asked if they really wanted that game. Steam playtime since: zero. Cautionary tale for any dad tempted to immediately fulfill a gift request — let it simmer. Trevor brings a head-scratcher next: WWE 2K24 was running in SLOW MOTION on his kids' console and they were just… fine with it. They never said anything. The fix? Turn off the internet. That's it. The game runs at full speed in offline mode. Welcome to gaming in 2026. The episode closes with a visit to an amusement park, a negative-90-degree roller coaster, and the slow realization that the dad body just doesn't bounce back like it used to. Trevor rode the same coaster five times, came home with neck issues, and is now openly counting the months until his youngest is tall enough to ride alone — at which point Dad is heading directly to the funnel cake stand. The heart is willing, but the body is OUT. 🎮 Topics: "Watch This, Dad" showcases, Pragmata (Capcom space-dad game), curating a kid's first MP3, Bruno Mars vs. Linkin Park vs. Less Than Jake, Just Dance as a music gateway, Rock Band revival hopes, My Little Puppy gift fail, WWE 2K24 slow-motion bug + offline-mode fix, negative-90 roller coasters, the aging dad body, VR roller coasters 📬 Got a story, question, or a soundtrack recommendation for a kid's first playlist? Reach out at newdadgaming.com
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    31 mins
  • Ep. 389: Old Dad Sayings, Infinite Craft Gone Wrong & Your Kid's First Instagram

    Ep. 389: Old Dad Sayings, Infinite Craft Gone Wrong & Your Kid's First Instagram
    Apr 8 2026
    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: his 15-year-old is officially on Instagram. It's the first NDG kid on social media. Despite being a teen account, the algorithm immediately served up political garbage instead of skateboarding and art. Jeff and his wife spent day one retraining the feed together and set up a family chat to share good content. Trevor shares a genius trick he used with his kid on Messenger Kids — he had him send a goofy selfie, refused to delete it, then forwarded it to mom. "I didn't let you do that!" "Doesn't matter. You don't own it anymore." Parenting in the digital age, one teachable moment at a time.

    In lighter news, Trevor was FLOORED to discover that Pokémon TCG Pocket has actual battles. He thought it was just a pack-opening simulator. His kids have thousands of physical Pokémon cards and have never once played the actual game. Jeff might download it for the card battler angle. Trevor might stream it. The future is wide open.

    Finally, for our Gaming Dad Question of the Week, Logan asks: has becoming a dad made you more emotional during games? Jeff talks about feeling Joel's panic in The Last of Us, and Trevor can't get through "Love You Forever" without losing it. The scenario of playing something heavy late at night and having to wake your kid up just to hug them? Yeah. That hit home.

    🎮 Topics: Old parent sayings trend, Infinite Craft parental warning, first kid on Instagram, digital literacy for teens, algorithm retraining, photo consent lesson, Pokémon TCG Pocket battles, Songs of Six city builder, Dwarf Fortress vibes, Last of Us dad emotions, God of War parenting, Love You Forever, Ori and the Blind Forest

    📬 Got a story, question, or a digital parenting win? Reach out at newdadgaming.com Timestamps: 00:00 — Poem: old dad sayings & Infinite Craft 00:27 — Welcome & intros 00:44 — Intros: Trevor (10yo & 8yo) & Jeff (15yo & 12.5yo) 00:57 — Old parent sayings trend: can your kids finish "as long as you live under my roof..."? 02:57 — "I'll give you something to cry about" — trauma blocks unlocked 04:27 — Jeff's kids HAVE heard these — and had no idea what they meant 05:57 — Infinite Craft update: no kid-safe mode, adult content discovered 07:57 — Jeff's teen "made everything" — do you ask what they saw? 09:57 — Songs of Six: Jeff's new city builder obsession (Dwarf Fortress vibes) 13:27 — One solo dev, generous demo, incredible soundtrack 15:57 — Jeff's kids want war, dad wants to build a longhouse in peace 17:37 — First NDG kid on social media: Jeff's 15-year-old joins Instagram 19:47 — Algorithm immediately serves garbage to a teen account 21:57 — Being a millennial parent navigating social media for the first time 23:57 — Trevor's photo consent trick with Messenger Kids 26:12 — "You don't own it anymore" — digital literacy teachable moment 26:57 — Pokémon TCG Pocket: wait, there are actual BATTLES? 29:27 — Dad completely missed half the game for months 30:57 — Show wrap-up & sign-off
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    33 mins
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