Gameplay Journal #5 — What is a glitch?

My definition of a glitch would have to be a mechanical error or lag that presents itself as imcomprehinsible seemingly random noise (both noise and sound). When I think of a glitch I think of my game not processing the graphics correctly and things appearing or dissappearing that otherwise would not before. After reading and watching some of the glitch art presented, I see that some glitches can be used with a purpose or to create something. Glitches can encapsulate a wide variety of processes and their outputs in all fields, even outside of tech and computers. To quote Briz, glitches “…perplexing nature makes them difficult to comfort-ably classify.” (Briz, pg 56)

I think Menkman did a wonderful job explaining what a glitch is —

“I experience the glitch as a wonderful interruption that shifts an object away from its ordinary form and discourse, towards the ruins of destroyed meaning.” (Menkman, pg 340)

Rather than being a bad interaction, the user shifts their focus to analyze the composition rather than the whole as normally presented. Usually when I see a glitch I am intrigued and wonder what is happening at the moment. A great examle of what I consider a glitch outside of tech are the glitch rugs created by Faig Ahmed. This brings up how a glitch can be and has been present in physical art. Like Dadaism, “Glitch can be instigated complexities or stumbled upon accidents. (Briz, pg 55) Glitch can be intricately composed artworks or chance happenings.

I also really like Nick’s definition -

“A glitch, even when it is intentionally provoked, always maintains a level of chance, at least from a human point of view because of the computer’s seemingly random and chaotic way of break-ing down. (Briz, pg 57)

My original thinking was geared more so towards computers, specifically game consoles. Sometimes people can glitch a game to break through walls and barriers. Users can use this to aid them in speed-running or exploration without limits.

The glitch I want to talk about is in this video as #15 — Backwards Super Long Jump presented in Super Mario 64 (3:52). This example more so ties into my original thinking in how glitches were game based errors. This glitch in particular was helpful to speed runners as it allowed Mario to glitch through walls and entire areas even to different locations that could only be accessible through normal game progression. It also allows the user to see the space beyond the levels and even many different levels in succession.

“Glitch Art Historie[s] / Contextualizing Glitch Art — a Perpetual Beta.” GLI. TC/H 20111: READERROR, by Nick Briz, Unsorted Books, 2011, pp. 53–58.

Menkman, Rosa. “Glitch Studies Manifesto.” Video Vortex Reader II: Moving Images beyond YouTube, by Geert Lovink and Rachel Somers Miles, Institute of Network Cultures, 2011, pp. 336–347.