About Me

Thanks for stopping by. Read below to learn more about myself and my background.

Mark McManus at work

My Journey in Games

For as long as I can remember, games have been my passion not just playing them, but understanding what makes them work. That passion led me into a career in QA, and for nearly a decade, I've had the privilege of helping to ship titles for some of the most respected studios in the industry, including T.T. Games, Supermassive Games, Creative Assembly, and Unity.

My journey began in the sprawling, complex worlds of the LEGO franchise before expanding to a huge variety of genres and platforms. I've had the chance to help bring beloved classics like Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX back to life, test innovative narrative horror experiences like Man of Medan, and ensure a quality experience for massively popular games like Fall Guys on mobile. This has allowed me to grow from a hands on tester finding critical, show stopping bugs to a senior team member leading QA strategies, mentoring new testers, and ensuring multi-platform releases meet the highest quality bar.

This deep experience in seeing what makes a game truly great from both a technical and player perspective inspired me to expand my own skill set. Today, I'm channelling all those years of learning into my own studio, Ki10 Games, where I'm not only continuing my QA work but also leading efforts in game design and programming on my own independent title.

Skills & Expertise

Over my career, I've developed a comprehensive skill set that covers the full spectrum of game development quality assurance. For a more detailed history, you're welcome to download my CV.


Core Expertise

  • Test Strategy & Planning: Designing and executing comprehensive test plans, cases, and scripts for gameplay, UI/UX, and multi-platform compliance.
  • Manual & Exploratory Testing: Extensive experience in functional, usability, performance, and regression testing with a reputation for finding elusive, high impact bugs.
  • Defect Management: Expert in identifying, logging, triaging, and tracking defects using industry standard tools to ensure swift resolution.
  • Team Leadership & Mentoring: Proven ability to lead and coordinate QA teams, mentor junior testers, and improve bug reporting standards and best practices.
  • Game Design: Designing core gameplay systems and shaping narrative direction, with a focus on refining the player experience based on feedback, market expectations, and a quality first mindset.

Technical Skills

  • Bug Tracking: JIRA, DevTrack, TestRail, Redmine
  • Test Planning: TestRail, QTest, Excel
  • Game Engines: Unity, Unreal Engine 4/5, CryEngine
  • Platforms: PC, PlayStation (PS3, PS4, PSVR, PS5), Xbox (360, One, Series), Nintendo (Wii U, Switch), Mobile (iOS, Android), & Cloud (Stadia, Luna).

Download CV

Outside of Work

When I'm not professionally testing games, I'm usually... playing them! I love exploring everything the medium has to offer, from massive AAA worlds to creative indie gems. My passion for development doesn't stop when I clock out; I'm constantly working on personal game prototypes to sharpen my design and programming skills, with the dream of one day releasing my own title.

Beyond the screen, my other great passions are football I'm a lifelong Manchester United supporter and I also love diving into a good board game with friends.