Balancing work, family life and late night gaming sessions isn’t easy, but three local dads have turned that challenge into a weekly conversation about humor, chaos and staying connected to the games they love. Hosted by Jarrett Tedder, Jay Chipman and Chris Gray, Gaming Daddies is a podcast that takes a spin on how parenting collides with the gaming world.
Before the podcast officially launched, the idea grew out of conversations between three friends who have known each other for years through band directing and work. Their talks often drifted toward the realities of parenting and finding time for gaming, eventually leading them to find that there was a shared story worth telling.
”We realized that while there are tons of gaming podcasts out there, not many talk about what gaming looks like after you become a parent,” Tedder said. “Between our collective piles of unplayed games and our kids accidentally erasing save files, we figured there was a lot of comedy—and community—to be found in sharing those experiences.”
Once the show found its rhythm and the hosts settled into their roles, the three then established a consistent workflow for producing new episodes.
“Throughout the week we propose ideas through our Gaming Daddies text group about what would be great topics to cover,” Gray said. “We also have a shared Google Drive where we drop ideas and draft up and edit scripts for us to follow for filming.”
Despite their organized planning, the podcasters face inevitable hurdles, with the primary challenge being a lack of time and technical difficulties.
“The biggest challenge is definitely time. Between teaching, family life, and everything else, finding a consistent recording schedule can be tricky — especially during marching season,” Chipman said. “Sometimes technology doesn’t cooperate — mics act up, internet connections drop, or we realize a few minutes in that we forgot to hit record. But those moments have become part of the fun and charm of doing it ourselves.”
These challenges have led to memorable, unscripted moments that the team embraces as part of their authentic appeal.
“Multiple times we have had to edit recordings because we didn’t start together or in the middle of conversation, one of the hosts would have to leave to take care of a baby,” Tedder said. “We also have lots of times where we just make fun of each other for pronunciation or inability to speak. Moments like that keep it real—and remind everyone listening that yes, we’re still just dads trying to have fun and talk games.”
Even with technical mishaps and schedule conflicts, the group says the heart of the podcast has never changed.
“Honestly, it feels less like work and more like hanging out with an old friend talking about something we [all] love,” Chipman said.
