Gameplay Journal Entry #5: Ladder Fun!

To start, my definition of a glitch is any occurrence within a game that is not the intended experience provided by the game. I mean this in the literal sense, as including the subjective intended experience is a different subject entirely, though that gap in communication could be considered a social glitch as well. Regardless, the objective experience of the game include aspects like art assets (models and animations) and mechanics (hitboxes, textboxes, etc), pieces of the game that are intended specifically to behave a certain way. Menkman’s definition of a glitch is pretty close to mine “it is often perceived as an unexpected and abnormal modus operandi, a break from (one of) the many flows (of expectations) within a technological system” (Menkman ,341). As long as the subject matter is unintended, then I believe it counts as a glitch.

My example for a glitch is from WWE 2K19, a wrestling game made for consoles. This clip in particular is from an XBox 360 console, and honestly is better watched than described. In terms of this video game specifically, the 2K WWE games are generally created to allow wrestling fans to create or recreate fights with their favorite existing fighters. It’s essentially a simulation game with the additions of being able to create your own fighters as well. A glitch like this turns the intended experience described above into whacky, Tom and Jerry-tier, cartoon hijinks. Surprisingly, the glitches are what have garnered the most attention for this series of games as of late, as they’re the most entertaining aspect of the game for many people.

Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6IVFyeXFYI&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=ThatOneLil%27BirdBoy

Works Cited:

Menkman, Rosa. Glitch Studies Manifesto. Self Published, June 13th 2020