Unit Tests For Your Unit... Test
No one understands the value of unit testing unless you actually start writing tests. Seriously.
When you're a game dev though, the environment often moves too fast to take on test driven development. In the indie scene, it's sink or swim, and when you swim, you have to swim hard and fast. It can be extremely unforgiving.
How about triple A studios? In my extremely limited experience, there seems to be more leeway because big studios are usually well-funded. But there is still a good measure of time-pressure in any game dev environment.
Lately, though, I've had the luxury of being able to take my time in development, and let me say that the TDD experience is cathartic. Indeed, having the ability to reassure myself that my code works fine with a single click gives me a tingly feeling inside. Sure, it takes a while to build a module, but in the end, I end up with better coding habits, improved anticipation of problems, and the peace of mind to submit my code to my peers with confidence.
Oh, and if it fails anyway, I can say, "What?! But, it passed all my tests!"
