Gameplay Journal Entry #5

To explain a glitch to someone based on my own experiences, I would go with the current definition of some technical error. I feel most people have this in mind when they hear the word. Menkman takes the definition of a glitch into an abstract direction. The modding community blurs the line of glitching and modifying the game by exploiting these technical errors to the point where the glitch is completely intentional and therefore not an error anymore. This makes me feel inclined to side with Menkman’s perspective on what a glitch is.

Menkman states “My first encounter comes hand-in-hand with a feeling of shock, or being lost and in awe. “(Lovink and Miles, Menkman pg.340–341). Simply put, I think Menkman describes a more accurate artistic representation of a glitch. This definition shows how it’s a disruptive occurrence that elicits an emotional response. A game that comes to mind is from a game called “Sherlock Holmes Nemesis”. In this glitch Sherlock’s companion, Watson’s, AI does not have a walk animation creating a eerie follow of the player. This produces a disturbing sensation of being followed and surprised.

Works Cited

Lovink, Geert, and Rachel Somers Miles. Video Vortex Reader II: Moving Images beyond YouTube. Institute of Network Cultures, 2011.