When I’m driving, I’m almost always listening to podcasts or audio books. I used to listen to music, but I’ve reached the grumpy old man point where I’ve memorized every song I like, and I don’t like anything new!
What I listen to changes with my interests, but there are a few things that I started and just can’t imagine stopping.
The Debug Log
The debug log has been around about a year and a half now. It’s a show aimed at game developers and has a big Unity bias. They cover all aspects of the game industry, both technical and soft. If you’re looking for something Unity specific to listen to, or really just want to hear more about the industry from a bunch of developers, this is the podcast for you.
Game Design Zen
Game Design Zen is a work of art done by Curtiss Murphy. This podcast won’t teach you how to code or about new tricks. Instead it teaches you how to make a great game. Curtiss focuses on the key elements to good design and how to make a game that will stand out in the giant crowd of games released every day. Even if you don’t consider yourself a designer, take the time to let him instill some good actionable guidance into great design.
Link: http://www.goodgamesbydesign.com/category/podcast/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/game-design-zen/id1028932466?mt=2
.NET Rocks!
.NET Rocks is not a podcast just about game development. Instead it focuses on all aspects of programming and software development, with a small lingering bias toward .net and c#. If you’re looking to learn about new technology, soft skills, c# language changes, or even nuclear power, you’ve gotta give Carl and Richard a listen.
Link: https://www.dotnetrocks.com/?show=1310
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/.net-rocks!/id130068596?mt=2
Everything Vive
I don’t always listen to podcasts about development. Occasionally, I come across one focused solely on gaming, and in this case, VR gaming on the Vive. Listening to people talk about games gives me a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.
Link: http://www.goodgamesbydesign.com/category/podcast/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/game-design-zen/id1028932466?mt=2
Unlike the others, this isn’t an actual podcast. Instead, it’s a youtube channel where Dan Moran guides you through Makin’ Stuff Look Good, I have to mention that “good” doesn’t do the channel justice. Dan will show you tricks to re-create great effects from AAA games (sometimes in ways better than what was actually done). He also has a few introduction tutorials for shader development and animations. One of my favorite videos was the Shader Case Study on Hearthstones Golden cards. He teaches you how to re-create the effect in a clean and easy to use way.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEklP9iLcpExB8vp_fWQseg
This podcast is focused around software development as a passion. The most recent episodes have gone deep into some of the best software books ever written. If you're looking for open honest discussion about software development that applies across all industries, you should definitely give it a listen. I'd recommend one of the "Clean Code" episodes as a good starting point.
They also run their own slack chat which is full of developers discussing code, careers, and more. So if you hear something and want more info, or want to provide your feedback, join us in there and join the conversation.
Link: https://www.codingblocks.net/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/coding-blocks-software-web/id769189585?mt=2
Rick Davidson – Career Coach
I’ve just started listening to this guy, but so far I think he’s great. He’s giving advice very similar to what I’ve told many people in the past and recommends Unity to new developers. If you’re brand new to game development, wondering where to start, jump over and devour his videos right away.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DWn7tAAtT0SVQRqlJRknQ
This list will be a living document, and as I start changing my listening and viewing habits, I'll make sure to share what I come across.
If you have your own favorites that you'd like to share, comment below or send me an email.