Gameplay Journal 5
If I were to define what a glitch is I would sum it up as a visual artifact that distracts the player, thus breaking their immersion within a game world. Anything from an object suddenly becoming invisible, to textures stretching and to two objects “clipping against each other”. In other words the items overlap each other in the digital world even though they are meant to represent solid objects. In my personal experience glitches are a normal part of gaming and when I do run into them I am not surprised they’re there. What I do think is obviously an issue is if there are too many to the point where it becomes increasingly clear that the product needed more time to iron out the majority of its glitches. I’ve seen glitches that have a characters mesh being pulled across the screen and some where entire weapons disappear.
I very much agree with Menkan’s idea of a glitch when she says “I experience the glitch as a wonderful interruption that shifts an object away from its ordinary form” (pg 340). In the glitch I link below the player models are seen to be reshaped and take up a new look, one that mimics what gamers have coined as being slug like. I remember playing the Battlefield 3 beta and having this happen constantly, it was hilarious and continues to be a good memory. That being said it did detract from this seemingly rugged and hyper realistic take on military shooter that Battlefield aspires to be, and this is what defines it as a glitch to me. While the glitch itself wasn’t game breaking their was a break of immersion as suddenly the visual consistency of the image you are looking at took on a new form. Within the game you suddenly had multiple players within a lobby all staring and attempting to mimic the glitch rather than continuing the game itself. It is evident that while glitches may not be ideal it is definitely a piece of gaming culture.
Menkan, Rosa. “Video Vortex Reader II Moving Images Beyond Youtube : Glitch Studies Manifesto”. Institute of Network Cultures, 2011. Print.
