Say Hello to Abby Wilson
QA Manager
What does QA stand for and who do you manage?
Quality assurance, I’m in charge of the people who playtest our game.
Seems pretty straight forward.
What made you get into the game industry?
Honestly, I hadn’t thought it was an option until relatively recently. As a child, I played video games obsessively and even dreamed of visiting Nintendo’s headquarters, but it wasn’t until I started working in retail during college that I’d considered that my hobby could potentially become a career. At PAX Prime/West one year, I received a flyer in that free bag you used to get that proclaimed I could play games before they got released. It was a sign for me – I applied and was accepted. Just like that! It was a serendipitous accident, and one that I’m very grateful for.
We are grateful as well!
How did you end up at Undead Labs?
For a while, I was a contract tester at Microsoft Studios. There, I worked on a whole smattering of games on different Microsoft-related consoles: PC, Xbox 360/One, Surface tablets, and the Windows phone. One of the first games I worked on there was the original State of Decay – after working on the Steam release, I was contacted by Undead’s then-director of QA. He wanted to tell me that they’d liked my work, and wanted to ask me what I wanted out of a career in games. A career in games? No way! I began at Undead in January of 2014 on the Lifeline DLC for the original State of Decay, was the QA Lead on our mobile project Moonrise, and now am the manager of the department.
What is your favorite part about working at Undead Labs?
I really enjoy the amount of trust that we’re given here; I love that I can just do whatever I feel is necessary to get the job done. I also really love the people who work with me here; we are all really in the same boat!
It’s easy to trust team members like you.
Any interesting facts about you (outside of work) you’d like to share?
My favorite television show is Mystery Science Theater 3000, I own my own baritone sax, and during college I helped to run an art gallery on campus (The VU Gallery, at Western Washington University). I also have a fraternal twin sister, and everyone in my family is a teacher except me, including my spouse.
Wow! You are a very captivating individual!
From everyone at Undead Labs, thank you for your hard work Abby!
Have questions for Abby? She’d be happy to answer them, just comment on the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram post this link was on and we will make sure to collect her answers and send them back to you. Or join our Discord network (https://discord.gg/AZVkR3v) and send your questions to Undead Megan.