This is my second article. This time its a theme I believe is one of the least discussed parts of game making.

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Even though we seldom speak about it, testing is really a very important part of creating a game (well, any software for that matter).

The need for testing is very often underestimated, and more than one commercial game has been delayed because testing takes a bit longer than expected.

Even though we are not creating commercial games, testing is still crucial if you want a game with few/none bugs.

Bugs can if any destroy a game. Just lost your custom character in a crash? What a pitty.

The time used to test can as much as 50% of the time used to create a piece of software. Yes 50%! Well, in most cases that will not apply to our games. They do not control a spaceship going to mars!

Still, testing is crucial. And testing IS NOT doing a 10 minutes show off before releasing the game. Not by far.

Testing begins as soon as you have "programmed" something. And testing continues to pop up until the game is ready to be released.

There are generally 2 types of tests of interest. Black-box-test and white-box-test.

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A black-box-test is a very thorough test of some that is "programmed". It can be to see if a counter never can have any other values than expected. If an critical event always is activated at the right time. This kind if test are made by the "programmer". Remember, ITS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE SCEPTIC.

Ultimately the "programmer" is the worst person to test the game! Say what!? Yes, its true, the "programmer" IS the worst person to test the game. Why? Because the "programmer" know how the program works and he is therefore likely to make tests that work because he knows whats expected to happen in the game.

Note! Because you dont find any bugs in a test does not by far mean the game is bug free! It only means the game is bug free if you follow that test!

So, be sceptic when doing black-box-tests. These may not be so necessary in klik products. But the next test is!

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White-box-tests are not as specific on detail as black-box-tests. Instead white-box-tests are less narrow. This kind of tests test a course in the game. Like a level in the game.

This kind of test should NOT be performed by the "programmer" but rather from a group of people that do not in any way know what the games about or how it works. People who do not know what to expect from a game or how it works are the best to crash a game = find a bug!

The "programmer" should NOT instruct the testers too much or at all. Instead the testers should be given free hands to explore the target, like a level. If they encounter problems they should write them down at once. You quickly forget details (in a matter of minutes).

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Ok, I hope this article will inspire you all to test more and hopefully better.

As always feel free to leave comments.