Tomonobu Itagaki talks about the proper attitude toward game development bugs

Team Ninja leader Tomonobu Itagaki mentioned a four-letter word in a recent blog entry: bugs. No, he didn’t say that Ninja Gaiden 2 was buggy, but he did specify what attitude developers should have when dealing with bugs. Itagaki bugs us with some important words of wisdom in the full article after the jump.

Bugs. No one really like them, but they’re part and parcel of game development. Fortunately, Team Ninja head honcho Tomonobu Itagaki has a different perspective regarding these irritating errors. In a recent blog entry, he shared his words of wisdom with Ninja Gaiden 2 fans.

The trick, Itagaki said, lies in the developer’s attitude. Since bugs will inevitably crop up in game development, the developer must focus on removing them. Fear of bugs will not do anyone good, as it paralyzes the developer from doing a good job.

That’s why Itagaki never scolds his team whenever bugs rear their ugly head. Instead, he encourages them with the words:

Bugs are like an epiphany from heaven; the bug reports just come fluttering down from above. The important thing is to remove the bugs that you put in. If you spend so much time worrying about bugs that you are unable to move forward and create something, youÂ’re not going to be able to make a good game.

Itagaki has words for developers with bosses who want bugless pieces of code on the first try: either find a new boss or tell your boss that it’s his brain that’s full of bugs. Strong words, but the man definitely has a point.

In closing, Itagaki noted how much better Ninja Gaiden 2 is getting day after day. With an attitude like that, we’re not surprised at all.

Via Club IGN