Design Memorable Video Game Puzzles | Douglas Burton - Senior Game Designer @ Polyarc | Ep 1 | Acapella

02/03/21 • 75 min

In the acapella version (no background music) of the inaugural episode, we sit down with fellow Full Sail University Alumni, dear friend, Detroit’s own Douglas Burton currently working as a Senior Designer for PolyArc in Seattle, WA.

Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his specialty in Puzzle Design.

I got to work with Doug at Midway Austin on our first shipped game Blacksite: Area 51 where he’s gone on to work for various studios throughout the US and in the UK.

In this episode we'll discuss:

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Chapters:

(0:00) the dream of being a game dev consultant for Hollywood
(3:10) cheers, sante , salud, let's enjoy a stout
(4:28) developing in the pandemic
(6:00) working in mobile slot games at Scientific Games in Austin Texas.
(15:28) figuring out game development was his calling
(18:15) meeting Steven Spielberg while working on Boom Blox
(30:20) finding the right college to achieve his goals
(43:20) discuss the responsibilities of a game designer
(53:00) approaching high-level puzzle design
(1:03:00) his perspective on the importance of studio culture and equitable hiring practices at Polyarc

----more---- Links mentioned in the show:

Show Notes & Transcription on Medium
Doug's Game Credits on Mobygames
Reducing Bias in Game Audio Hiring
xMiraMira's Sims Melanin Pack
Follow Doug's team Polyarc - @PolyarcGames
Follow Doug's work - @Dougomite_Dev
Follow your host John Diaz - @elkingpin
http://outofplayarea.com

Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his specialty in Puzzle Design.

I got to work with Doug at Midway Austin on our first shipped game Blacksite: Area 51 where he’s gone on to work for various studios throughout the US and in the UK.

In this episode we'll discuss:

----more----

Chapters:

(0:00) the dream of being a game dev consultant for Hollywood
(3:10) cheers, sante , salud, let's enjoy a stout
(4:28) developing in the pandemic
(6:00) working in mobile slot games at Scientific Games in Austin Texas.
(15:28) figuring out game development was his calling
(18:15) meeting Steven Spielberg while working on Boom Blox
(30:20) finding the right college to achieve his goals
(43:20) discuss the responsibilities of a game designer
(53:00) approaching high-level puzzle design
(1:03:00) his perspective on the importance of studio culture and equitable hiring practices at Polyarc

----more---- Links mentioned in the show:

Show Notes & Transcription on Medium
Doug's Game Credits on Mobygames
Reducing Bias in Game Audio Hiring
xMiraMira's Sims Melanin Pack
Follow Doug's team Polyarc - @PolyarcGames
Follow Doug's work - @Dougomite_Dev
Follow your host John Diaz - @elkingpin
http://outofplayarea.com

Previous Episode

Douglas Burton - Senior Game Designer @ Polyarc | Ep 1

In the inaugural episode, we sit down with fellow Full Sail University Alumni, dear friend, Detroit’s own Douglas Burton currently working as a Senior Designer for PolyArc in Seattle, WA.

Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his specialty in Puzzle Design.

I got to work with Doug at Midway Austin on our first shipped game Blacksite: Area 51 where he’s gone on to work for various studios throughout the US and in the UK.

In this episode we'll discuss:

(0:00) the dream of being a game dev consultant for Hollywood
(3:10) cheers, sante , salud, let's enjoy a stout
(4:28) developing in the pandemic
(6:00) working in mobile slot games at Scientific Games in Austin Texas.
(15:28) figuring out game development was his calling
(18:15) meeting Steven Spielberg while working on Boom Blox
(30:20) finding the right college to achieve his goals
(43:20) discuss the responsibilities of a game designer
(53:00) approaching high-level puzzle design
(1:03:00) his perspective on the importance of studio culture and equitable hiring practices at Polyarc

Links mentioned in the show:

Doug Burton's Game Credits on Mobygames

Reducing Bias in Game Audio Hiring

xMiraMira's Sims Melanin Pack

Follow Doug's team Polyarc - @PolyarcGames
Follow Doug's work - @Dougomite_Dev

Follow your host John Diaz - @elkingpin

Out of Play Area Home

Next Episode

The Origin of Rockstar Presents Table Tennis | Mr. Benja - Founder of The 8Bit Cubist | Ep 2

In episode 02, we sit down with Benjamin Johnson, or Mr. Benja as he’s known online, who is a designer and creative living in SoCal best known for being the lead designer on Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis and being a prominent open-world scripter for Red Dead Redemption.

Early on, he was introduced to the arts, but when he came across video games, he quickly decided to make game development his focus. Benja obtained degrees in Information Systems and Software Engineering from Florida A&M University and Michigan State University, respectively.

From there he went on to create and design video games for companies such as Sony Santa Monica, 3DO, WowWee, and, of course, Rockstar Games San Diego.

Afterward, he turned his focus away from the corporate and has since moved into creative ventures including podcasting, gallery curation, and a fine arts project called The 8Bit Cubist. And as he explains, “Life Imitates Game.”

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Chapters: