About Me

Greetings and thank you for stopping by my website!

My name is Erik Vaughn. I am currently living and working in Dallas, TX at Bungie where I work on games like Destiny 2. In 2014, I graduated from the Guildhall at SMU with a Masters degree in Interactive Technology. During my time there, I found my stride as a world builder and built lasting friendships with my teammates.

I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember -

My older brother convinced my parents to get an NES when I was barely a year old, and to this day, video games continue to strengthen my bond with my brother despite living thousands of miles from each other.

While playing video games is indeed fun, I enjoy making video games because I want to tell a story. I want to have the next generation of gamers stay up all night discussing and fighting about a story I helped create. Games have the power to connect people through a shared experience, like how everyone who played Battletoads intimately understands how frustrating the hoverbike level is, or how sad it was when you-know-who gets stabbed in Final Fantasy VII. Players who barely even speak the same language can share an experience through games. That is what I want to help make.

When I'm not creating worlds or playing through them I like to pursue other interests I've picked up over the years. Interests such as: astrophotography, anime, pen and paper RPG's, renaissance faires, music, and reading (currently devouring The Way of Kings).

If you have any questions or would like to contact me please feel free to email me at erikvaughn1@gmail.com.

Interesting Factoids:

I am an amateur astrophotographer and wildlife photographer, a gallery can be found below
I have built a few guitars, a bass, and an ukulele and can even play them a little
I studied in Germany (Leipzig) for a summer
My Favorite TV show is Futurama
Some of my favorite games are Helldivers 2, The Halo Series, Battletoads, the Fallout Series, Kerbal Space Program, Destruction Derby 64, and Chromehounds

The Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula, or Messier Object 42, is a nebula located near Orion’s Belt, and can be seen in the winter with just a simple pair of binoculars.

The Horsehead Nebula

The Tadpoles and Flaming Star Nebula

Great American Solar Eclipse, 2017

I took a literal trip of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles from Dallas, to Seattle, to Portland, and finally to the middle of nowhere to finally get a snapshot of a Solar Eclipse. I can’t oversell how awe-inspiring it was to see and encourage everyone to try to catch one someday.

Milky Way Out There

I had to travel all the way to Oahu to get this image. That cloud in the middle is the Milky Way core, the center of our home galaxy.

Moon Mug Shot

My favorite time to shoot the moon is during a crescent phase, as the lunar terminator (the line breaking up light and shadow) really shows off the topography of the moon's craters

Dizzying

Three hours of exposures went into this photo overlooking the Denton Municipal Airport. The stars "spin" around Polaris, and when one composites the three hours of data, the trails are born. Airplanes landing give a chaotic feel to the circular star trails, and if you look really closely, you can even see satellite paths!

Kylo, the Tiger

Kylo spent a lot of time while we were visiting the Wildlife Reserve playing in the recess yard while we snapped hundreds of photos of the not so little guy.

Snake

I love watching snakes curl up on a branch and snooze away in the sun/heatlamp. This one was a great model, don’t you think?

Mountain Lion

This is one of the three mountain lion siblings at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Bellevue, WA.

Clifford the Scarlet Macaw

He says “hello!”

Osaka Castle

Waking up at dawn on the first morning that we were in Japan was so worth it to get this photo.

Japanese Sparrow and Sakura Blossoms

This may be the best photo I’ll ever take. The Sparrow just hopped into my viewfinder and stuck around for me to get a great photo before flitting off.