Getting to Know-made: Declan Ebbage, QA Technician
✨ Have you ever found yourself pondering on the happenings at Glowmade Towers?
Glowmade is the home to a team of talented and passionate creators, and support staff where their creativity and care bubbles over into our games and studio culture daily, and - frankly - we all benefit from it!
It’s always fascinating to understand what makes people tick, and today’s Getting To Know-made (do you get it?) is with Declan Ebbage, QA Technician at Glowmade!
Onward, dear readers, onward! ☝️😏
✨ Declan Ebbage,
QA Technician
What's your role at Glowmade (and what do you actually do)?
QA Technician
How would your mum/dad describe your job?
"So they just play games all day."
But for the purposes of good triumphing over those pesky bugs. 🪲🦸
Your job title in your own words?
"Bug catcher"
*Plays ‘Viridian Forest’ music in head* 🐛😍
Tell our dear readers a little about yourself, we want to know all about the origin story of Dec!
I've worked within games QA for around five years, I made my first steps by applying for a compliance tester role and then went for a third party QA position which gave me a lot of experience on a large variety of titles and products and briefly worked as a lead tester within that position. This then lead to me wanting to try and find more of an in house position working within games QA as I was interested in how working as part of an in house QA team would differ from being third party. Being more hands on with the development team and the product in order to have more of an influence on the quality of the product/title being delivered.
Can you tell our community how your career in the video game industry came to be?
There was no defining moment but I had always wanted to hold a position within the games industry, I had no real idea of how to get into the industry aside from a few transferable skills from working in data entry and a huge passion for gaming which lead to me going for my first role as a compliance tester.
Share something you love doing outside of everything video games.
On the rare occasion I'm not spending my time playing video games or being an internet addict I enjoy a swathe of nerdy activities such as pen and paper RPG's, painting miniatures, walks and a bit of photography. Also cats and coffee... Oh and sleep, sleep is pretty good.
Who or what inspires you?
Good & talented people doing good, trying their best to bring something special to life.
Share something you appreciate about yourself. I know I mentioned not overthinking, but think a little about this one. Give yourself a pat on your back.
I'd rather appreciate the one reading this, hey you! (the one reading this sentence) , great hair! I hope you're having a fantastic day.
❤️
“
Hey you! (the one reading this sentence) , great hair! I hope you’re having a fantastic day.”
What's the best thing about working at Glowmade?
The people here, all talented, passionate and caring individuals. Who appreciate each other for their uniqueness that everyone brings when joining the team.
🥲
What do you want from your career? What goals are you looking forward to vaulting past?
Building upon a skillset but also the experience of working with a bunch of passionate people sharing the same goals in trying to deliver a great experience into the hands of the user. As a gamer I want to share and try and retain a bit of that excitement I've experienced in my own childhood when enjoying some of my favourite games for the first time.
A heroes’ work is never done, thank you Dec. ⭐
If you could have been involved in the development of ANY game, which would it be?
Probably an MMO like Black Desert or FFXIV.
What are your top tips for someone looking to get into games?
“It’s a great industry but it can definitely have a dark side. Try and find a studio or business that respects the individuals it employs and wants to deliver the utmost best for their players. ”
In your opinion, who is the keeper of the cutest Glowmade pet?
Ine, that's one adorable bun.
Who on the team is most likely to make a mess in the office?
Not likely to make a mess but for general destruction... Alec.
We feel like there’s a story there?….Perhaps some tea for another time. 😜
If you had to pick one game to play for the rest of your life (let's hope it never comes to that), what would it be?
Diablo II
What's one thing most people don't know about you?
Secretly batman.
*Nods knowingly* 😉
Who on the team inspires you the most? (don't worry, I won't tell them... honest! ;) )
Hard to answer from QA's perspective. Lots of people do some very cool stuff. Beth and Ewan both are pretty inspiring when it comes to their approach to tackling bugs and improving process to try and keep our titles quality consistent.
What's your guilty pleasure?
Spending 24-30 hours burning through games on launch.
Well there you have it! Dec, you’re a gent and a scholar, we also know you’re a very busy chap, doing all the things, so thank you so much for your time - it’s very much appreciated!
And don’t forget WE ARE HIRING! We want to hear from you, even if you don’t see a role listed on our website that fits your skills - get in contact! And show us your adorable pets whilst you’re at it!
