The Underground QA Podcast

Season 5 kicks off with a wrap on 2023 and the predictions for 2024! We talk unions, golden paths, agile, pesticide paradox, Marcin talks about selling his organs and we even have some bloopers! All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft), Chelsea Curran Adams (QA Director at Hypixel Studios), and Diarmaid "Water" Malone (QA Analyst at Hypixel Studios) are joined by special guest, Ashley Levers (Therapist, MFT, PMH-C) to discuss safeguarding your mental health from workplace stressors and practical tips to deal with layoffs. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own. This a special podcast on health topics but this is not medical advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition.

Ariel Smith (Test Discipline Manager at Bungie), Marcin Pieprzowski (Test Software Project Manager at Ubisoft), and David Benefield (QA Lead at Obsidian Entertainment) are joined by special guest Evgeny Kim, mock interviewer and community builder. In this episode, we conduct and break down a mock interview for a QA role at a fake company with red flags galore. Check out Evgeny's work and community at  @EvgenyKim1  or on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evgenykim1?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Ariel Smith (Test Discipline Manager at Bungie), Marcin Pieprzowski (Test Software Project Manager at Ubisoft), and David Benefield (QA Lead at Obsidian Entertainment) break down the ISTQB Game Testing syllabus, covering what it does well, what it doesn't, and ways to improve it. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Chelsea Curran Adams (Director of QA - Fortnite at Epic Games), Chris Rando (QA Lead at Epic Games), Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft), and Ariel Smith (Test Discipline Manager at Bungie) are joined by Myron Parks (Founder of Human Sense Coaching) to wrap up 2022 with a review of this year's episodes, Underground QA community highlights, and the video game industry as a whole and share insights from our community. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Chris Rando (QA Lead at Epic Games), Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft), and Ariel Smith (Test Discipline Manager at Bungie) discuss Test Case Management tools, what the benefits of using one are, and what to think about when choosing one for your team. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft) and Ariel Smith (Test Discipline Manager at Bungie) are joined by special guest Trevor Page (Senior Test Manager at Bungie) to discuss escaped defects and best practices for parsing and using the data about them. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Ariel Smith (Senior Test Lead at Bungie), Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft), Chris Rando (QA Lead at Epic Games), and Chelsea Curran Adams (Senior QA Manager at Epic Games) chat about bug prevention including tools, processes, and the unique role QA plays in preventing bugs. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft), Ariel Smith (Test Discipline Manager at Bungie), and Chelsea Curran Adams (Director of QA - Fortnite at Epic Games) begin a series on Certifications in our industry. We’re going to be focusing on the newly created ISTQB Game certification. We’ve been discussing this around the community - what are the benefits, what are the drawbacks, and is this something you would ask of your teams. Are we achieving the goals, as an industry and discipline, that we need to be better? All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.

Chris Rando (QA Lead at Epic Games), Ariel Smith (Senior Test Lead at Bungie) and Marcin Pieprzowski (QA Project Manager at Ubisoft) are joined by Leland Dantzler (Senior Test Discipline Manager at Bungie) to offer insights into what to expect in an interview for an FTE Junior-level QA role. All individuals appearing on the podcast are not doing so as official representatives of their respective companies and the opinions expressed here are their own.