The Dive Down

By The Dive DownLeisure Games

The Dive Down episodes

September 04Episode 385: The Agony of Fandom (ft. Christopher Harris)
This week Shane and Dave welcome Christopher Harris of Harris Football to talk about his new best-selling novel Pound Foolish. Part locker room chronicle, part neo-noir, Pound Foolish is the story of a series of murders occurring around an NFL team and the investigations that unspool around them.
We talk about the contradictions of loving something that is actually kind of terrible, the process of completing creative endeavors like these, and, yes, about Chris's day job — fantasy football.
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
Timestamps:
0:01 - This week's episode
4:53 - It's Chris!
6:40 - Pound Foolish and being an NFL fan
24:48 - Exploring the NFL in Pound Foolish
29:55 - Chris's creative process
42:25 - Unifying themes and pushing yourself
47:24 - Influences and recommendations
52:06 - Fantasy football!
1:01:44 - Thanks, Chris!
Links from this week's episode:
Harris Football
Pound Foolish available now at bookshop.org
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 8 min
August 28Episode 384: Candy Teeth & Comedy ft. Adam Burke
On this week's show, Dave's friend and comedian Adam Burke returns to talk about humor, laughter, and joy. We chat about today's comedy scene and culture, in Chicago and beyond.
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Timestamps:
0:01 - Teeth and lips
4:16 - Welcome back, Adam
9:31 - Old guest, new job
11:35 - Adam's comedy origins
19:55 - Adam's new book
33:19 - Doing comedy
47:26 - Getting cancelled
49:58 - Comedians Adam likes
54:50 - Has comedy changed, or us?
1:02:03 - Where to find Adam
1:03:46 - Wrapping up
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 6 min
August 22Episode 383: The Dive Dads
Shane's on vacation this week so Dave and Stan bring back friend of the show Jason (aka KilgoreTrout) to talk Control, Vampire Crawlers, Spider-Man, and dad stuff.
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2025 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Timestamps:
0:00 - On Following Shane's Rules
13:45 - Control
29:21 - Vampire Crawlers
38:22 - Spider Mans
51:10 - #dadlife
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 21 min
August 14Episode 382: A Big Walk With Shane and Dave
On this week's episode, Dave and Shane first discuss their experiences with the critically acclaimed co-op game Big Walk, then massage their sore calves as they talk about seeing some music shows. Have Zoomers figured out how concerts should work? Finally, Shane shares his thoughts after a few days with the Retroid Pocket Nova, the latest in a series of "endgame" retro handhelds.
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
Timestamps:
0:01 - Wisconsin 2: The Squeakquel
8:31 - This week's episode
9:10 - Big Walk with us
28:11 - Dave saw The Smashing Pumpkins
39:16 - Shane saw American Football
52:15 - The Retroid Pocket Nova
1:06:03 - Wrapping up
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 8 min
August 07Episode 381: The Odyssey & Christopher Nolan
On this week's show, Jason returns to talk about The Odyssey, the latest international blockbuster from the visionary mind of Christopher Nolan.
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Timestamps:
0:01 - Kilgore is back
6:28 - This week's episode
7:58 - Jason played... Magic? (and Stan did, too)
17:23 - Our Odyssey begins
22:10 - Our history with Nolan
30:24 - How we saw it
42:50 - IMAX and locking in
50:45 - The actual film
1:07:50 - The performances
1:18:40 - Our favorite scenes - SPOILERS HERE
1:20:54 - SPOILERS OVER - where does Nolan go from here?
1:24:28 - Our Nolan tier lists
1:29:51 - Wrapping up
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 32 min
July 31Episode 380: Live from Night City
On this week's show, Dave and Shane talk about their sordid adventures in Cyberpunk, while Stan tries to save what's left of the western United States in Horizon Forbidden West.
Also Stan discovers and beats an apparently important indie game called Bastion. And Shane relives his high school years in Rock Star's Bully. We wrap with some public comments about fatherhood (and unclehood).
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2025 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Timestamps:
0:01 - Shane got caught having fun while old
6:18 - Dave's AI band name quiz
17:18 - The cold open is too warm
18:20 - Old Business: Shane dodged AI convo
20:21 - We decided to check out Cyberpunk 2077
38:14 - New Business: Stan is playing a lot of Horizon Forbidden West
47:07 - Stan beat Bastion
50:28 - Shane is playing Bully
55:20 - Public Comments: Dad memories
1:05:36 - Wrapping up
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 8 min
July 24Episode 379: Aipocalypse Now
On this week's show, we share a couple of our deepest spiritual awakenings, then rant for a while about our weird feelings on AI and LLMs. Then we manage to keep the mood lively with public comments about MTG's Universes Beyond.
We're not glazing AI. Don't be mad at us.
Timestamps:
0:23 — Dudes Rock
4:40 — Space Rocks
7:48 — Intro: We Had a Terrible Idea to Talk About AI
13:40 — A Little Background on Us
20:05 — Stuff We Hear About Every Day
24:17 — The Misgivings Begin
31:42 — New Kinds of Learning
34:42 — The Misgivings Continue
35:02 — Is AI the Source of Existential Enshittification?
42:33 — The Dunning Kruger Machine
48:52 — Thoughts on Future Work
50:05 — Could Some Good Outcomes Make It Worth It?
52:14 — Some Things We Actually Do
59:24 — Dreams of the Apocalypse
1:06:23 — Public Comment from The Stalk
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 20 min
July 17Episode 378: Widow's Baycklog
On this week's show, Stan wears a sports vest to religitate some of his favorite 2026 movies, Shane arrives with notes, Dave discovers chiral matter, and the boys watch Widow's Bay.
Timestamps:
0:01 - The devil on Shane's shoulder
6:36 - This week's episode, sort of
9:43 - Old business: Shane watched Send Help
18:46 - Shane also watched The Furious
22:50 - Shane ALSO finished Resident Evil 4 Remake
28:46 - Dave plays PS5
33:29 - New business: Widow's Bay
55:54 - Public comment: Our guilty pleasures
1:06:20 - Wrapping up
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 8 min
July 10Episode 377: Thinkin' I'm Back: John Wick & PS5
On this week's show, we're covering another cinema blind spot. Dave has never seen John Wick, so Shane came all the way from Ohio to make him watch it. Stan watched too.
Then we tell Dave what to play on his new PS5. Turns out he's really into some lewd stuff!
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Timestamps:
0:01 - Shane's crabby, and there's a bird
8:11 - This week's show - John Wick
10:38 - Our history with the Wick
16:08 - Dave's first watch
26:10 - Getting into Wick
36:40 - Why did this movie hit?
42:35 - Tying a bow on Wick
46:28 - Dave got a PS5 Pro
1:06:35 - Wrapping up
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 9 min
July 03Episode 376: First Half Performance Review(s)
Well you did it. You've made it through another half a year. But... we have some things we need to talk about. Like all this amazing media we've enjoyed in 2026! Tune in for our favorites of our favorites from movies, games, music, TV and a few other things.
Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown
Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store
Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2025 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com
Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN
And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/
Timestamps:
0:01 - Shane gets fired
2:27 - We're Mad Men
7:30 - This weeks episode: a first half review
9:35 - Oldish business: Takes on the Steam Machine
20:54 - New business: The best movies of the first half of the year
36:50 - The best music
54:05 - The best games
1:05:03 - The best TV
1:13:42 - Public comment: Games that surprised us
1:19:00 - Wrapping up
Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?
email us: [email protected]
Support The Dive Down
1 hr 21 min

About The Dive Down

From the publisher's feed

The Dive Down is a weekly podcast for people who love Magic: The Gathering but like talking about other things too. From videogames, to parenting, to 3D printing, and beyond. Each week hosts Dave,…