The Debug Log

Latest Episodes:

Episode 83: Marketing Your Game on a Low Budget Aug 23, 2017

Show notes

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 market and players with smaller attention spans, it is extremely important to know how to market your game. Of course, we are not marketers, but with our combine experience, we hope to give you some tips that could help you make your game successful. We will be discussing some of the basic things that you can do to promote your game without having to spend too much money.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 82: Let's Talk Security: Data Storage Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

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 relates to their game’s data. This episode is one of a possible* three-part series about security within game development.

The Debug Log crew, sans Andrew, also try to spice up the episode with a mini-game, “Assess That Risk!” where we tackle a few game data scenarios and how to address the security risks associated with those game and data types.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any questions or comments about today’s episode to: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 81: Personal Programming Methodologies Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

After a brief month of summer vacation, we are back in action. This week we are talking about Personal Programming Methodologies. Basically, different methods and thought processes that you can employ to break your projects into manageable pieces. We start with a brief exploration into the most popular schools of thought in programming methodologies. We then explore the ways you can use all of your favorite bits to forge a whole and coherent process that is truly your own.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any questions or comments about today's episode to: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 80: Rapid-Fire Roundup Jul 14, 2017

Show notes

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, resist the temptation of a cheaper Oculus, assess the fallout from the Fallout 4 ad campaign, and get our minds blown by the amount of money in Esports these days. All that and more on this episode of The Debug Log.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Feel free to send any stories you want to hear us cover in the next "Rapid-Fire Roundup", to: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 79: Technical Directing with Benjamin Jordan Jun 29, 2017

Show notes

From flunk to hunk!

In this week's episode, we have the privilege of sitting down with the Studio Technical Director of "Sprockets," Benjamin Jordan, who talks about his experience, growth, and the lessons he's learned as a TD. Knowledge is dropped consistently throughout this episode as we explore his early high school struggles with Mathematics and how he overcame them to eventually write, and eventually sell, his own physics engine.

Ben also gives the 'skinny' on what goes into being a Technical Director and some of the pitfalls and highlights of the position. He also offers up an eloquent ending to the show by imparting some amazing career (and life) advice that we recommend you stick around to hear.

As always, we appreciate your ears and for supporting the show. If you have any questions about being a Technical Director, be sure to contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 78: E3 2017 Wrap-up Jun 24, 2017

Show notes

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 show this year, some major hardware announcements from Microsoft, and as always, a ton of info on new games that we can only hope will come out at some point in our lifetime. On this week's episode, we break down all the latest news from this year's conference. We end the discussion with our favorite bits and what we are looking forward to playing in the near future.

Thanks, as always, for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions about this week's episode, be sure to contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 77: Targeting AAA Game Studios with Ryan Killgore Jun 16, 2017

Show notes

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 conversation about how Ryan took a very deliberate approach to his career in game development, mapping out his way to becoming a AAA game developer. He offers several tips and tricks, as well as some great insight into how he targeted AAA game studios from the onset of his career.

We believe that Ryan highlights how one can start to take steps early on in their development career in planning for a career with AAA game studios.

Thanks, as always, for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions about the genius, beautiful, and magnificent Ryan, be sure to contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 76: Design Patterns - Observer May 31, 2017

Show notes

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 next episodes, we will be focusing more in design patterns that improve performance. Anyways, that is in the future. In this episode, we talk about what is the observer, when to use it, implementation details, benefits, and pitfalls. I hope you find this episode helpful.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! Contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 75: Mythic Structure in Game Design May 12, 2017

Show notes

What do rollercoasters, songs, fancy meals, and summer blockbusters all have in common? They are designed to take us for a ride. Whether emotionally or physically, each moment is engineered to be just what the audience needs at just the right time. The creators in these mediums are able to pull off such feats time and time again because certain narrative structures resonate with human beings, and, in fact, have done so since the beginning of recorded history. Joseph Campbell, the respected comparative mythologist, pioneered research in this field with his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. His thesis being that the myths of both ancient and modern societies all follow a similar pattern and structure. The reason for theses parallels, he argues, is that human beings en masse experience the same journey from cradle to grave and this "Hero's Journey", as he coined it, serves as a symbolic map to the important milestones in our lives. The "Hero's Journey" gained pop culture awareness after George Lucas embedded the theory and ideas into an obscure little space movie he was making in the late Seventies. The rest is history.

This week, we explore how these common mythic structures can help us to make our games more engrossing. From Nicole Lazzaro's "4 Keys 2 Fun" to Jesse Schell's "Interest Curves", we explore how different game designers have tackled this idea. Whether your game is narrative based or not, these principles are just as valid and worth discussing. Luckily, on today's episode, we do just that.

If you have any questions about today's episode, be sure to contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

Episode 74: From Gamer to Game Developer with Zack Schneider May 02, 2017

Show notes

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 a game developer. We go into how his initial passion for playing games provided the spark to pursue a career in game development. We also dive into his experience getting a game development job immediately after leaving college — one that dealt exclusively with virtual reality no less!

We believe that Zack serves as an excellent subject in ‘proving out’ one’s passion and how doing so can lead to challenging yet rewarding work.

A kudos to you for listening in this week and we hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions about our dearest Zack, be sure to contact us at: thedebuglog@gmail.com

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