In this episode of Dev to Dev – the podcast about everyday video game developers and why they do what they do every day – I speak with Chris Peters, former QA Lead.

Chris grew up in “Pencil Tucky,” a blue-collar corner of Pennsylvania, where gaming meant LAN battles with his dad and GameCube marathons with friends. A welder by trade, he never imagined a future in games until a friend’s connection opened the door to QA at a major AAA studio — a leap that completely reshaped his life.

Chris shares the culture shock of moving from welding shops to testing Elder Scrolls Online, and how QA became more than bug-hunting—it was a way to probe systems, break rules, and learn the craft of game-making. He speaks candidly about impostor syndrome, the challenge of leadership as an introvert, and how personal struggles became powerful motivators rather than setbacks.

Music also plays a big role in his story. Chris draws vivid parallels between arranging songs and designing levels, each built around flow, rhythm, and surprise. That connection fuels his ambition to move from QA into level design, bridging creativity with technical insight.

What shines through is Chris’s honesty: his reflections on fear, confidence, and resilience; how being an introvert shaped his leadership style; and how QA deepened his love of games rather than diminishing it. It’s a reminder that the industry is made up of people who often take unexpected routes, carrying their personal histories and struggles into the craft.

This is a funny, thoughtful, and deeply personal conversation about resilience, identity, and the creative spark that lives in unlikely places.

Thank you for listening and I really hope you enjoyed this episode. Please subscribe in your Podcast App of choice to keep up-to-date with each new episode when it lands. And if you would like to keep the Podcast ad free please consider joining the Patreon. Think of it as a Virtual Tip Jar at a minimum, with the option to upgrade for additional benefits such as:

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Also please reach out if you have any questions, thoughts, comments, guest suggestions, or ideas!

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Find Chris at:

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  Christopher Peters | LinkedIn

  
  


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  https://sites.google.com/view/chrispetersleveldesign/home

  
  


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  Instagram: @camohand

  
  


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  Bluesky: camohand.bsky.social

  
  

Chapters

• (00:00:00 ) - DevtoDev: Chris Peters
• (00:00:48 ) - What, What made you first fall in love with video games?
• (00:03:00 ) - ZeniMax's ZeniMax Make Video Games
• (00:05:21 ) - How a Welder Became a Video Game Player
• (00:07:30 ) - Growing Up a Video Game Player
• (00:11:11 ) - Mixing Levels in 'Time Splitters'
• (00:13:38 ) - Working as a game dev in the early days
• (00:17:24 ) - How to Break the Rules in QA
• (00:22:25 ) - Interviewing Former Video Game Pro
• (00:24:04 ) - How Did Getting Into the Industry Change Your View of Video Games?
• (00:29:30 ) - QA Is Not Just For Testing
• (00:33:56 ) - How Do Your Friends and Family Related To Your Job?
• (00:35:39 ) - Do Your Kids Know You're Publicly Famous?
• (00:37:19 ) - Have Your Jobs Affected Your Love of Gaming?
• (00:39:47 ) - Ecosoft: Team Focus
• (00:41:46 ) - Bradley On Becoming A Lead Musician
• (00:47:08 ) - Have You Got The Confidence To Fail?
• (00:50:59 ) - Blender on Level Design: The Biggest Challenge