The Brains Behind the Chaos

Meet the Dads

Two guys who love gaming, hate sleep deprivation, and somehow keep showing up every week to record a podcast about both.

Co-Host & Resident Patch Note Analyst

Marcus "Respawn" Rivera

"I read every patch note so you don't have to. You're welcome. My wife is less grateful."

Marcus has been gaming since the original PlayStation and has the bad posture to prove it. A software engineer by day and a self-appointed gaming journalist by night (9:30pm to 10:15pm, after the kids are down), he brings the technical breakdowns, the hot takes on balance patches, and an encyclopedic knowledge of game mechanics that impresses absolutely no one at school pickup. He has three kids, two gaming setups, and one very understanding spouse who has accepted that the TV will never truly be hers.

Genre

FPS, RPGs, anything with a good story

Dad Level

Expert (3 kids, ages 4, 7, and 9)

Currently Playing

Whatever released last week that he'll never finish

Fun Facts

Has never finished a single-player game in under 6 months
Owns 4 controllers — 2 are broken, 1 is "for guests", 1 actually works
Once paused a raid to help with a science project. The guild has not forgiven him.
His kids think his headset is a phone

Co-Host & Chief Dad Joke Officer

Derek "Dad Reflexes" Callahan

"Gaming made me who I am. Fatherhood humbled me. The podcast is my therapy."

Derek came up in the golden age of couch co-op and has been mourning the death of split-screen ever since. A high school history teacher with a gift for storytelling and an inability to let a bad pun go unspoken, he brings the narrative context, the gaming history deep dives, and the kind of dad jokes that make his students groan and his podcast co-host question their friendship. He has two kids who are already better at games than he is, which he describes as "both a point of pride and a personal crisis."

Genre

Strategy, platformers, retro classics

Dad Level

Veteran (2 kids, ages 7 and 11)

Currently Playing

Something from 2019 he just got around to

Fun Facts

Holds the household record for most deaths on the tutorial level
Has explained loot box economics to his 7-year-old. She understood immediately.
Still mourns the death of split-screen co-op
His gaming chair has a permanent indent. He calls it "the throne."

How It Started

Two Dads, One Terrible Idea

It started the way most bad ideas do: a group chat. Marcus sent a voice memo complaining about a patch that nerfed his main. Derek responded with a three-paragraph essay about game design philosophy and a dad joke about respawn timers. Someone said "you two should do a podcast." We said no. Then we said yes. That was two years and a lot of missed bedtimes ago.

100+

Episodes Recorded

Kids Between Us

Functioning Controllers

Games Finished On Time

Come Hang With Us

New episodes drop every week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Browse Episodes Join the Community