The Debug Log

Episode 116: Game Industry Downturn?

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The boys are back! In this week's episode, the gang reunites and catches up on what everybody has been up to over the past couple of years. We also ad...

Episode 112: Getting Started with Game Dev in 2021

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We all have to start somewhere. If you are interested in game development and hope to get started soon, you've come to the right place. On today's epi...

Episode 111: Roblox IPO, NFTs, and Cyberpunk Drama

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have a classic game industry news round-up. Ryan and Obinna explain Roblox to Andrew while the whole gang tries to understand the weird n...

Episode 110: Best Practices in Remote Game Development

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

So after a long, hard talk with a couple of GenZ-ers, we decided to move from only-audio podcasts to both audio and video podcast recordings! This epi...

Episode 109: The Rise of Live Games

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From patches and updates to seasonal content and daily challenges, the ubiquity of live games has grown exponentially in the internet age. What starte...

Episode 108: Epic vs. Apple

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Clash of the Titans! Not only is it an objectively great 80's movie, it is also what you could call the current climate between Apple and Epic. Platfo...

Episode 107: Black Lives Matter

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pandemics go beyond just disease and viruses. They have the capacity to sneak into the core of our being, society, and yes -- our game industry. The p...

Episode 106: Under Quarantine

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's not very often that one is aware they are living through history as it happens. 2020 will always remembered as the year we all went into quara...

Episode 105: Let's Talk Tech Art

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Like the complexities of for loops, switch statements, and allocating memory? Or, do you fancy getting the pixels to look just right on screen? Can't ...

Episode 104: Designing for VR & AR Games

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, we talk to Mira Marquez and Kenneth Woodruff about designing for VR and AR applications! Our guests join Ryan and Obinna to ta...

Episode 103: Gaming Horizons

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New year, next gen! In this week’s episode Obinna, Andrew, and Ryan discuss the future of gaming in the next year. As some of you may already know t...

Episode 102: Developing Games for the Cloud

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has been talking about the cloud… so, we figured we should too!In this week’s episode, we bring in another former Sprocketeer and backend...

Episode 101: The Road to Better Concurrency

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The party doesn't stop at 100! We're keeping the train moving right along with another fresh episodeIn this week's episode, we bring in former Sprocke...

Episode 100: 100th Episode Retrospective

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We finally did it! After 4 very short years, we managed to reach 100 episodes of The Debug Log. In this episode, we are joined by a very special pers...

Episode 99: The Darkside of Development: Company Closures II

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is better than three episodes about the dark underbelly of software development? FOUR episodes about the dark underbelly of software development!...

Episode 98: The Darkside of Development: Company Closures I

08 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is better than two episodes about the dark underbelly of software development? Three episodes about the dark underbelly of software development! ...

Episode 97: It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature

04 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a game dev, you probably deal with bugs and glitches on a day-to-day basis. Today we are talking about the best kind of bugs, bugs that end up bein...

Episode 96: Holiday Special 2018

02 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our 4th annual Holiday Special where we discuss some of the biggest games and stories of the past year. Thank you for sticking with us for ...

Episode 95: Unite 2018 Wrap Up

13 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Unite 2018 Los Angeles! In this episode we discuss the many happenings at the annual Unity convention Unite. There was a lot to see at this years con...

Episode 94: Rapid-Fire Roundup

10 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are back with another "Rapid-Fire Roundup" episode. Catching up on a lot of the stories of the past few months, we tackle every...

Episode 93: Evolution of Game Networking

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Another walk down gamedev memory lane with Ryan and the gang! This week on the show we discuss the evolution of networking in games. We cover the gro...

Episode 92: Optimizing Your Game for Performance

05 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Double the flavor, double the fun! We've got a pair of Sprocketeers, in Dan Moran and Lisa Hicks, joining us today to talk about methodologies, tools,...

Episode 91: Is Your Game Worth It?

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We all know making games is hard, but what do you when a project lingers on forever unfinished? Are you working on your grand masterpiece? Will you lo...

Episode 90: World Building with Geoffrey Nahashon

20 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Interview Time! (to be read in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers voice) In this week’s episode we sit down with industry vet, Geoffrey Nahashon to...

Episode 89: Unity 2018 Beta

28 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Oh. My. God. Becky. First. It's Zack's Birthday. Second. Unity 2018 Beta is out and ready for all you eager developers out there to get your hands on ...

Episode 88: The Next Big Thing

30 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Patience is a virtue. " So, that quote has nothing to do with this topic, but it seems like a cool thing to start the episode summary with!...

Episode 87: Game Dev Tricks

19 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! It's time to kick off 2018 with a feast of an episode. We start with a very fun conversation about all the interesting tricks game dev...

Episode 86: Rapid-Fire Roundup

16 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

OMG, we're back again! Brothers, sisters, everybody read! It's time for another edition of "Rapid-Fire Roundup". This week we discuss the in...

Episode 85: The Downsides of Developer Transparency

10 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There has always been an air of mystery surrounding the game development process. In the past, this was mainly due to the archaic processes involved a...

Episode 84: Game Design Breakdown - PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS

31 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It seems like every year, one game comes along and dominates the conversation, whether for its excellent execution, superb gameplay, or its originalit...

Episode 83: Marketing Your Game on a Low Budget

23 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Making a good game is not enough to make a profit from it. That is why we decided to talk about Marketing in this episode. With such overcrowded marke...

Episode 82: Let's Talk Security: Data Storage

15 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode we discuss game data security, but specifically try to target how developers should think about and approach security as it r...

Episode 81: Personal Programming Methodologies

08 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After a brief month of summer vacation, we are back in action. This week we are talking about Personal Programming Methodologies. Basically, different...

Episode 80: Rapid-Fire Roundup

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Back at last! It's time for another edition of "Rapid-Fire Roundup". This week we break down the colossal new version release from Unity, re...

Episode 79: Technical Directing with Benjamin Jordan

29 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

From flunk to hunk! In this week's episode, we have the privilege of sitting down with the Studio Technical Director of "Sprockets," Benjami...

Episode 78: E3 2017 Wrap-up

24 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

E3 2017 has come and gone and as usual, we are left with a bevy of game industry news to wade through. There were some significant format changes to s...

Episode 77: Targeting AAA Game Studios with Ryan Killgore

16 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

AAA: From Start to Finish! In this week’s episode, we sit down with another one of our fantastic co-hosts, Ryan Killgore. We jump into an in-depth c...

Episode 76: Design Patterns - Observer

31 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hello, guys. Here is another episode of the series about design patterns. For this round of basic patterns, I wanted to finish with the observer. In n...

Episode 75: Mythic Structure in Game Design

12 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What do rollercoasters, songs, fancy meals, and summer blockbusters all have in common? They are designed to take us for a ride. Whether emotionally o...

Episode 74: From Gamer to Game Developer with Zack Schneider

02 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A Tale of Proving out Passion! In this week’s episode, we have the honor of speaking with our very own Zack Schneider about his career and growth as...

Episode 73: Design Patterns: Singleton

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hello, Debuggers. In today’s episode, we continue our series about design patterns with one of the most polemic design patterns of all, Singleton. W...

Episode 72: A Master Study in Content Design with Joshua Herbert and Benjamin Gross

12 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

From Tomb Raider to Ninja Turtles, this pair of Game Designers have been through it all. In this week’s episode we sit down with Benjamin Gross and ...

Episode 71: Common Developer Mistakes

06 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mistakes. We all make them, especially as developers. The good news is that we can all learn from each other and try to avoid them in the future. This...

Episode 70: Status Updates

29 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“Whatchu working on?!” In this week’s episode, the gentlemen of The Debug Log discuss their progress on their respective games. Eduardo drops a ...

Episode 69: Design Patterns: State

24 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode we talk about design patterns in game development, specifically, the State pattern. This is going to be an episode mostly oriente...

Episode 68: How To Pitch Your Game

17 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Before the thousands of players, before the money, before the press conferences, even the biggest games had to start with one simple thing; the pitch....

Episode 67: A Product Manager's Purpose with Vignon Zinsou

08 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tired of getting your PM’s mixed up? Not sure what goes into product management? Eager to impress your friends and co-workers with some key, trivia-...

Episode 66: Unity Analytics with John Cheng

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I have to pleasure to talk to John Cheng, the head of Unity Analytics. We go over the different parts of Unity Analytics and its feat...

Episode 65: Makin' Stuff Look Good with Dan Moran

15 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

You lookin’ gooooood! In today’s episode we are covering the topic of visual effects in a conversation with our friend Dan Moran. Dan runs the Yo...

Episode 64: UI/UX: Theory & Practice

07 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to stretch our academic muscles! On today's episode, we revisit a topic we've discussed previously, UI. This time we look at it through the ...

Episode 63: Retro Review: What Makes a Game a Classic?

27 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

They’re back! In this week’s episode, we welcome back our friends of the podcast, Will Dal Porto and Greg Anderson to talk about what makes a game...

Episode 62: Tales of a Community Manager

18 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“I am a tiny potato. And I believe in you. You can do the thing.” In this week’s episode, we have the privilege of chatting with our friend and ...

Episode 61: Idea Generation

06 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Creating original ideas for games might be a difficult process for some people and an easy ride for others. In any case, polishing that original idea ...

Episode 60: Holiday Special 2016

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our 2nd annual Holiday Special where we discuss some of the biggest games and stories of the past year. We also get a chance to revisit our...

Episode 59: The Darkside of Development: Culture & Competition

14 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

What is better than one episode about the dark underbelly of software development? Two episodes about the dark underbelly of software development! Tha...

Episode 58: The Darkside of Development: Crunch & Crashes

30 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

With all the merriment of the holiday season going on around here at TDL, we thought it appropriate (and of true ‘Troll’ fashion) to go on a serie...

Episode 57: The Role of a Systems Developer with Hi-Rez's Dayle Flowers

23 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Game Development has many roles: Gameplay Developer, Systems Developer, Level Designer, Character Artist, Sound Designer, Game Designer, and many more...

Episode 56: Unite 2016 Wrap-Up

14 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It's that time of year folks, that's right, it's time for Unite 2016! This year, Obinna, Eduardo, and I had the chance to fly out to Los Angeles and a...

Episode 55: Women in Game Development With Ker-Chunk Games CEO, Molly Proffit

28 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we had the pleasure to talk to Ker-Chunk Games’ Co-founder and CEO Molly Proffit. She shares what motivated her to create a company...

Episode 54: Freelancing in the Game Industry

19 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Free • lance - Origin: Early 19th century (denoting a mercenary): originally as two words. There is honestly no substantive reason as to why I just ...

Episode 53: SIEGE 2016 Wrap-Up

13 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend was AWESOME. I had the pleasure to go to SIEGE (Southern Interactive Entertainment & Game Expo) for the first time. For those of you ...

Episode 52: Procedural Generation: What, When, Why?

07 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wanted to create hundreds of levels without the hassle of handcrafting them? Then this episode on Procedural Generation is for you. In t...

Episode 51: The Problem with Freemium Games with Late Panda

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We had the pleasure of snagging an interview with fellow TDLers, Elisabeth Heed and Stephen McCallam, from across the pond in Glasgow, Scotland. In th...

Episode 50: The Art of Game Design with Jesse Schell

21 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

"The Art of Game Design, a Book of Lenses” is a must read book for every game developer. That is why, we wanted to bring Jesse Schell, author o...

Episode 49: Streaming Assets Deconstructed

14 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Is your app too big to install over the air? Need a dynamic content delivery system? Then streaming assets are for you! Yes friends streaming asset...

Episode 48: Creating In-Game Communities with KTplay CEO, Spencer Liu

07 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Community is the secret sauce to any successful game. Knowing this, bigger companies often hire a community manager whose full-time job it is to build...

Episode 47: Making Your First Game

23 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Finishing your first game is certainly a tough task, but with determination and hard work you can do it. In this episode we go through my journey in t...

Episode 46: Pathfinding Deconstructed

16 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wonder how to get your enemies to find their way to you, or how to get a companion to run behind you? Then this is the episode for you. In this e...

Episode 45: Quality QA with Will Dal Porto & Greg Anderson

09 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered what goes into the field of QA as it relates to the game development industry? Or maybe you have been itching to know what a ‘...

Episode 44: Why Do You Hate My Game?

04 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Congratulations! You've finished your game. Time to sit back and relax knowing that players across the world are falling in love with it. BEEP! Ooh, y...

Episode 43: Increasing Productivity

29 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you get easily distracted from working on your game and you struggle to get things done, no worries, we got your back. This episode will help you i...

Bonus Episode: The Debug Lounge is Live!

21 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Just a quick reminder this week that our new video series "The Debug Lounge" has been released. Allow us to set the scene… That sound you ...

Episode 42: Picking the Perfect Platform

14 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Xbox? Xbox One? PS3? 4? Wii? Steam? Android? iOS? WebGl? Windows Phone? PC? Mac? Android TV? Apple Tv? That’s just to name a few. With so many avail...

Episode 41: The Cake is a Lie: Why is Portal So Funny?

06 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, the guys take a look at the many aspects of the Portal franchise that make them so darn funny. With the popularization of comedic gam...

Episode 40: The State of the Game Dev Union

29 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Members of the Debug Lounge, TDLers, our handful of Google+ followers, and my fellow game developers: This episode marks The Debug Log's inaugural Sta...

Episode 39: E3 2016 Wrap-up

23 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

E3 is in the books! Annnnd, WWDC happened too. In this episode, the guys huddle up by the warmth of what was a pretty exciting conference and talk abo...

Episode 38: Talking Team Management

14 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Being a good leader is a difficult task. Therefore, The Debug Log team couldn’t let go a topic like this. It is our duty and pleasure to help you be...

Episode 37: Being Strategic About the Scope of Your Game

09 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode Andrew, Obinna, Eduardo, and Ryan talk about one of the most important topics when it comes to finishing your game, scope. Inst...

Episode 36: Rapid-Fire Roundup

01 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

That's right folks, it's time for another edition of "Rapid-Fire Roundup". This week Ryan talks new Xbone rumors, Obinna Daydreams with Goog...

Episode 35: Evolution of the FPS

25 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode Andrew, Obinna, and Ryan explore the evolution of the first person shooter. We examine its contributions to gaming from both a...

Episode 34: How to Handle Cheaters

20 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater; Had a game but couldn't beat her; He got a GameShark in the mail,; And then he beat it very well! We all know them ve...

Episode 33: Maintaining Motivation in Game Development

11 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode the fellas sit down and talk about best practices for maintaining motivation for your project during the game development life cycle. ...

Episode 32: Google Play Services

04 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Increasing player acquisition, retention, and optimizing development time are three of the top priorities for most game developers. In this episode we...

Episode 31: How to Get Featured in the iOS App Store

27 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The holy grail for any iOS game developer is have their game featured on the front page of the App Store. Whether it's in a coveted "Best of..&qu...

Episode 30: Rapid-Fire Roundup

20 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

That's right folks, it's time for another edition of "Rapid-Fire Roundup". This week Eduardo gives us the skinny on Unity's in-development ...

Episode 29: Mastering the Game Dev Interview

13 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Getting a job in the game development industry is a dream for many people, a challenge for others, and a fulfilled goal for some lucky ones. This epis...

Episode 28: AAA vs. Indie Game Development

06 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing first... from the rich, ruby red corner. Weighing in at $1.5+ million dollars. He hails from the beautiful, but volatile Silicon Valley. W...

Episode 27: Debugging Basics

30 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Bugs?!?! Ewwwww, gross! It's no secret that most people are not overly fond of bugs. If bugs happen to invade your home you can always call the Orkin ...

Episode 26: GDC 2016 Wrap-up

23 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ahhh GDC. A magical time where game developers gather from across the land to share their ideas, innovations, and a few drinks. Or perhaps several d...

Episode 25: Rapid-Fire Roundup

15 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve sent letters! You’ve emailed! You’ve snail-mailed! You’ve smoke-signaled for it! You’ve asked, and we’ve delivered! Actually, you d...

Episode 24: Networked Games with Eirik Pederson

08 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered what it would take to get a game online and accessible to individuals all across the globe? Curious as to when and how to plan ...

Episode 23: Game Prototypes: What, When, Why?

02 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

“Will this UI work?”, “Does my inventory system make sense?”, “Will this jumping mechanic feel right?”, "Do all dog seriously go to h...

Episode 22: Game Design Documents: What, When, Why?

24 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

So, you're scouring the inter web forums for some engineering and art help for your next, big game idea, when forum user, "xX1337ProgrammerXx&quo...

Episode 21: Game Monetization with Oscar Clark, Unity Evangelist

17 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve had the opportunity to attend Unite in the past couple of years you’ll recognize today’s guest. With his signature hat and jovial pers...

Episode 20: Game Dev Resolutions

12 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It's in the books! We offhandedly, randomly, and unofficially mark the end of the first season of The Debug Log with this episode. The entire five-man...

Episode 19: #MadeWithUnity with Unity CMO, Clive Downie

03 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

What do you get when you add the former VP of Marketing at EA and former COO of Zynga, an individual with a deep passion for games and gamers across t...

Episode 18: A Game Tutorial Retrospective

19 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

For ages, developers have had the difficult task of balancing the amount of explicit gameplay tutorials with the level of player discovery that is pro...

Episode 17: The 4 Keys 2 Fun with Nicole Lazzaro - Part 2

08 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our interview with Nicole Lazzaro, the founder and President of XEODesign. At Unite 2015 in Boston, some of us got a chance to see Nicole's ...

Episode 16: The 4 Keys 2 Fun with Nicole Lazzaro - Part 1

13 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Lazzaro, the founder and President of XEODesign, Inc. and has twenty years expertise in Player Experience Design (PXD) for mass-market entertai...

Episode 15: Networking in Unity

20 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

A TCP packet walks into a bar and says, "I want a beer." The bartender responds, "You want a beer?" The TCP packet says, "Yes...