problem with debouncing an arcade stick

Projects Programming
1

hey, arduino noob here working on my first non tutorial project.
I plan on using an arcade fight stick to control LED's and am trying to get the debouncing working well. I have finally deduced that my problems have to do with my code. Only my "left" button clicks/tilts of the stick work, regardless of the order of the code. I have it lighting up an RGB led, but digitally as if they were 3 LED's. i dont think its the circuitry thats a problem, because I also Serial.print each possibility, but only the left actually prints.

heres the code

const int leftPin = A1;
const int upPin = A2;
const int rightPin = A3;
const int downPin = A4;

const int bluePin = 10;
const int redPin = 11;
const int greenPin = 12;
const int ledPin = 13;

int redState = HIGH;
int leftState;
int blueState = HIGH;
int upState;
int greenState = HIGH;
int rightState;
int ledState = HIGH;
int downState;

int prvLeftState = LOW;
int prvUpState = LOW;
int prvRightState = LOW;
int prvDownState = LOW;

long lastDebounceTimeL = 0;
long lastDebounceTimeU = 0;
long lastDebounceTimeR = 0;
long lastDebounceTimeD = 0;
long debounceDelay = 50;

void setup(){
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(leftPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(upPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(rightPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(downPin, INPUT);
  
  pinMode(bluePin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(greenPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(redPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
  
  digitalWrite(bluePin, blueState);
  digitalWrite(redPin, redState);
  digitalWrite(greenPin, greenState);
  digitalWrite(ledPin, ledState);
}

void loop(){
  int leftReading = digitalRead(leftPin);
  int upReading = digitalRead(upPin);
  int rightReading = digitalRead(rightPin);
  int downReading = digitalRead(downPin);
  
  // this is where the LEFT button and BLUE led debounce begins
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
  if (leftReading != prvLeftState){
    lastDebounceTimeL = millis();
  }
  
  if ((millis() - lastDebounceTimeL) > debounceDelay){
    if (leftReading != leftState){
      leftState = leftReading;
      if (leftState == LOW){
        blueState = !blueState;
        Serial.println("left");
      }
    }
  }
    // this is where the left button and blue led debounce ends
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
  //-------------------------------------------------------------
  // this is where the UP button and RED led debounce begins
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
    if (upReading != prvUpState){
    lastDebounceTimeU = millis();
  }
  
  if ((millis() - lastDebounceTimeU) > debounceDelay){
    if (upReading != upState){
      upState = upReading;
      if (upState == LOW){
        redState = !redState;
        Serial.println("up");
      }
    }
  }
      // this is where the UP button and RED led debounce ends
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
  //-------------------------------------------------------------
  // this is where the RIGHT button and GREEN led debounce begins
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
    if (rightReading != prvRightState){
    lastDebounceTimeR = millis();
  }
  
  if ((millis() - lastDebounceTimeR) > debounceDelay){
    if (rightReading != rightState){
      rightState = rightReading;
      if (rightState == LOW){
        greenState = !greenState;
        Serial.println("right");
      }
    }
  }
  // this is where the RIGHT button and GREEN led debounce ends
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
  //-------------------------------------------------------------
  // this is where the DOWN button and ONBOARD led debounce begins
  //********************************************
  //******************************************
  //******************************************************
    if (downReading != prvDownState){
    lastDebounceTimeD = millis();
  }
  
  if ((millis() - lastDebounceTimeD) > debounceDelay){
    if (downReading != downState){
      downState = downReading;
      if (downState == LOW){
        ledState = !ledState;
        Serial.println("down");
      }
    }
  }
  
  digitalWrite(bluePin, blueState);
  digitalWrite(redPin, redState);
  digitalWrite(greenPin, greenState);
  digitalWrite(ledPin, ledState);
  
  prvLeftState = leftReading;
  prvUpState = upReading;
  prvRightState = rightReading;
  prvDownState = downReading;
  
}

is there an aspect that I'm overlooking??

2

came up with a solution!
not working with LED's yet but it prints correctly, only thing is it seems like it gets confused by the end of the function because even if i change which switch is down, cuz sometimes it gets stuck there even though it should read "nothing"

hope this code helps someone else!

  if (digitalRead(left) == LOW){
    long lastDebounce = millis();
    int yescounter = 0;
    int nocounter = 0;
    while (millis() < (lastDebounce + 20)){
      if(digitalRead(left) == LOW){
        yescounter++;
      }
      if (digitalRead(left) == HIGH){
        nocounter++;
      }
    }
    if (yescounter > nocounter){
      return 1;
    }
  }
3

My software debounce code is here: http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=339321 . Works for me.