How do I get logs from players who are not technical?

Capture the log automatically as part of the report instead of asking them to find a file. An in-game reporter buffers recent log output and attaches it on submission, so the player provides the log without ever touching a system folder, which is the only way to get logs at scale.

Is it okay to collect logs from players automatically?

Yes, as long as you are transparent. Disclose in your reporting UI or privacy policy that a report includes recent technical logs and device info to diagnose the problem. Players are comfortable sharing diagnostics whose purpose they understand; the issue is undisclosed capture, not capture itself.

What should I avoid putting in player logs?

Anything personal, chat contents, credentials, identifying information. Scope the log buffer to technical diagnostics: errors, warnings, and game state. Capturing only what you need for debugging keeps the data useful, makes transparency easy, and avoids turning a helpful log into a privacy liability.

How to Collect Logs From Players Without Scaring Them

Quick answer: Capture logs automatically as part of the report rather than asking players to hunt for files, be transparent about what you collect and why, and avoid capturing anything sensitive. Players will happily share logs they never have to find, as long as you are honest about it.

Logs are the most valuable thing in a bug report and the hardest to get the old way. Telling a player to navigate to a hidden folder, find a file, and email it to you fails almost every time, and the technical language makes non-technical players nervous. The solution is to capture the log automatically as part of the report and be transparent about it, so players never have to touch a file and never feel surveilled.

Stop Asking Players to Find Files

'Please attach your output_log.txt from AppData' is a request most players cannot or will not complete. They do not know where it is, they are wary of digging through system folders, and the jargon signals 'this is not for me.' Every report that depends on the player manually retrieving a log is a report you will mostly not get.

The log should be captured for them, automatically, at the moment they report. An in-game reporter buffers recent log output and attaches it to the submission, so the player provides the log without ever knowing they did. That is how you get logs at scale instead of from the rare technical player.

Be Transparent About What You Capture

Automatic capture works only if it is honest. Tell players, in your reporting UI or privacy policy, that submitting a report includes recent technical logs and device information to help diagnose the problem. Transparency turns automatic capture from something that could feel like spying into a clearly consensual, helpful exchange. Players are comfortable sharing diagnostics they understand the purpose of.

Bugnet's reporting captures logs and device context with the report, and you control the disclosure shown to players. Pairing automatic capture with a plain-language note about what is collected and why keeps the experience trustworthy rather than creepy.

Do Not Capture What You Do Not Need

The flip side of transparency is restraint: capture diagnostics, not personal data. Logs should contain technical information useful for debugging, not chat contents, account credentials, or anything personally identifying. Scrub or avoid capturing sensitive fields, and keep the log buffer focused on errors, warnings, and game state. The less sensitive data you touch, the easier transparency and trust become.

This is also practical risk management. A log that accidentally captures personal information is a privacy liability; a log scoped to technical diagnostics is just useful. Decide deliberately what goes into your log buffer so that 'we collect logs' is an easy, honest thing to disclose.

Players will share any log they never have to find. Capture it for them, and tell them you did.