The Game Quality Awards 2025 has wrapped up and we’re ready to dive into our winners stories. We sat down with Brandon Lee, a Quality Assurance Analyst at Epic Games and recipient of the Champion of the Player Award as he shared how he got his start, what life in QA really looks like, and what this recognition means to him.
GQ: Congratulations on your win for Player Champion at the Game Quality Awards! How do you feel about winning?
BL: I’m excited to be here and really honored to have received this award!
GQ: Can you tell us a little bit about your current role and how you got there?
BL: I’ve been at Epic for 3 years. This is my first AAA video game studio opportunity and career. Ever since I’ve been there, I have been working on a toolset for creators, to allow them to create their own games and experiences in Fortnite.
GQ: What made you want to get into the game quality profession?
BL: I grew up playing all sorts of video games, but what sparked me to want to join the video game industry was two video game series. One was the Mass Effect series from BioAir. Huge, huge RPG fan, and, that really just resonated with me when it came to characters, and building a whole world. And, narrative that… Seemingly comes to life. Another video game series that really sparked that interest was actually the Gears of War series from Epic Games. I kind of always wanted to work for Epic when I was younger. And fortunately, I’ve been blessed enough that it turned out that way. After college, I was able to get a job at Epic, so those have been my driving factors.
I’ve always had a passion for the user experience and ensuring that whatever product is being delivered, is at its highest quality as possible. And so, I think that’s a perspective that I try to push and enforce at Epic, and with my friends and colleagues, and honestly, they’ve also just made it a joy to come in every day and try and do my best. So, really the people around me have been the reason why it’s kind of been a joy and an easy process to advocate for the player and the user experience.
GQ: What are some key tips you would give to someone who’s looking to progress their career in game quality?
- Try and get a really good understanding of the different vocabulary and terminology early on. Getting a baseline understanding of those terms for, for what’s standard across the industry is gonna help you.
- Be okay with saying no. Don’t overwork yourself.
- When building a product, think about the experience you want players to have. Channel the same excitement and emotions you felt when you first discovered a game that inspired you. Let that curiosity drive you to keep learning, improving, and striving to be better.
- Be okay with falling short or making mistakes, what matters most is learning from them and using those lessons to grow.
GQ: What piece of career advice would you give your younger self with the benefit of hindsight?
BL: Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be afraid to chat with those principal level, super senior level individuals, and ask them questions. I think generally, most people like to share their knowledge, share what they have experienced with others, with younger folk in the field.Don’t worry about looking foolish. As long as you come with a humble attitude, and with respect, and respect to their time and such, and their skill set, I think most people will be more inclined to share their knowledge.
GQ: What is one achievement that you are most proud of?
BL: Something I’m really happy about that I’ve achieved while at Epic, is that there’s this sense of reliability that the team has. Whether that’s engineers, producers, Others in the quality field, they can rely on me. I know that I can only be reliable in this sense because of a work ethic that my parents help instill in me, and those around me. But also, because of the colleagues that I worked with, they kind of helped support me and build me up to be the individual that I am today.
GQ: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to share with the rest of the Game Quality community?
BL: I just want to give a huge thanks and shout out to my colleagues at Epic Games. They are the ones who really petitioned for me to get this award, and I wouldn’t be here without them.
Stick with it. If it’s part of who you are, part of your passion, and you stick with it, you will come out where you want to be.
At GameQuality.org, we’re proud to celebrate Brandon’s contributions and his well-deserved recognition as a Champion of the Player. His journey is proof that passion, persistence, and empathy can open doors in the gaming industry, and that the best games are built with players at heart.