377:
29:
429:. The use of glitches during speedruns is a controversial topic, with some frowning upon their use as subverting the intent of the developers. Those in favor of glitch use believe that using the glitches can in itself take a great deal of skill. Multiple categories of speedruns exist, with "any%" allowing the use of any type of glitch, while "glitchless" indicates the speedrun was performed without them.
79:'bug' is often cast as the weightier and more blameworthy pejorative, while 'glitch' suggests something more mysterious and unknowable inflicted by surprise inputs or stuff outside the realm of code". The word itself is sometimes humorously described as being short for "gremlins lurking in the computer hardware".
318:
A computer glitch is the failure of a system, usually containing a computing device, to complete its functions or to perform them properly. It frequently refers to an error which is not detected at the time it occurs but shows up later in data errors or incorrect human decisions. Situations which are
151:
Another term we adopted to describe some of our problems was "glitch". Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it. You have probably noticed a dimming of lights in your home when you turn a switch
463:
In broadcasting, a corrupted signal may glitch in the form of jagged lines on the screen, misplaced squares, static looking effects, freezing problems, or inverted colors. The glitches may affect the video and/or audio (usually audio dropout) or the transmission. These glitches may be caused by a
225:, Ned Midgley explained how a radio station's "traffic department" was responsible for properly scheduling items in a broadcast. "Usually most 'glitches,' as on-the-air mistakes are called, can be traced to a mistake on the part of the traffic department", Midgley wrote.
244:
showing two technicians monitoring the TV signals that were broadcast on Bell System lines: "When he talks of 'glitch' with a fellow technician, he means a low frequency interference which appears as a narrow horizontal bar moving vertically through the picture".
583:
454:
series, which allows the player-character to experience the memories of an ancestor though their generic heritage, includes occasional glitches as to enforce the idea that the game is what the player-character is witnessing through a computer-aided system.
290:, this could be a harmless and well-tolerated effect that occurs normally in a design. In other contexts, a glitch can represent an undesirable result of a fault or design error that can produce a malfunction. Some electronic components, such as
160:, saying that it's a term used by the Air Force at Cape Kennedy, in the process of launching rockets, "it means something's gone wrong and you can't figure out what it is so you call it a 'glitch'". Later, on July 23, 1965,
294:, are triggered by a pulse that must not be shorter than a specified minimum duration in order to function correctly; a pulse shorter than the specified minimum may be called a glitch. A related concept is the
342:
Such glitches could produce problems such as keyboard malfunction, number key failures, screen abnormalities (turned left, right or upside-down), random program malfunctions, and abnormal program registering.
258:'Glitch' is slang for the 'momentary jiggle' that occurs at the editing point if the sync pulses don't match exactly in the splice". It also provided one of the earliest etymologies of the word, noting that,
327:, and a failure to account for this possibility might also be considered a software bug), undetected invalid input data (this might also be considered a software bug), undetected communications errors,
362:
spacecraft to enter "safe mode" in
November 2010. Glitches can also be costly: in 2015, a bank was unable to raise interest rates for weeks resulting in losses of more than a million dollars per day.
152:
or start the dryer or the television set. Normally, these changes in voltage are protected by fuses. A glitch, however, is such a minute change in voltage that no fuse could protect against it.
499:
Independent Film
Festival 2008, deals with the disorientation of late-night TV viewer Harry Owen (Scott Charles Blamphin), who experiences "heavy brain-splitting digital breakdowns".
794:
652:
998:
400:(QA) testers are commonly employed throughout the development process to find and report glitches to the programmers to be fixed, then potentially start over with a new
1024:
422:
the game faster, usually by skipping portions of a level, or quickly defeating enemies. One example of a speedrunning scene with large amounts of glitch hunters is the
238:
magazine, RCA boasted that their TV camera has "no more a-c power line 'glitches' (horizontal-bar interference)". And Bell
Telephone ran an ad in a 1955 issue of
1065:
965:
221:. The reviewer noted an error and wrote, "In the lingo of radio, has Miss Sioussat pulled a 'muff,' 'fluff,' 'bust,' or 'glitch'?" And in a 1948 book called
877:
738:
600:
554:
205:
When the radio talkers make a little mistake in diction they call it a "fluff," and when they make a bad one they call it a "glitch," and I love it.
254:, a trade magazine for television and radio advertisers, gave another technical usage in an article about editing TV commercials by splicing tape.
166:
magazine felt it necessary to define it in an article: "Glitches—a spaceman's word for irritating disturbances". In relation to the reference by
900:
408:, for example, is notorious for the amount of glitches in their games, though some players even prefer them to a glitch-free experience.
929:
488:
slang, defining it as "an indefinable technical defect in CB equipment", indicating the term was already then in use on citizens band.
825:
448:
include segments with intentional glitches where it appears that the player's game system has failed. The Animus interface in the
464:
variety of issues, interference from portable electronics or microwaves, damaged cables at the broadcasting center, or weather.
648:
626:
988:
1020:
848:
44:, such as a transient one that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the
708:
472:
Multiple works of popular culture deal with glitches; those with the word "glitch" or derivations thereof are detailed in
404:
of the game. If insufficient bug fixes are performed, numerous glitches and bugs can make their way to the final product.
1069:
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873:
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436:
and either scare the player or put the player at unease, or otherwise as part of the game's narrative. Games like
286:
between two signals derived from a common source but with different delays. In some cases, such as a well-timed
174:
of the 1950s, where it was used to describe minor faults in the rocket hardware that were difficult to pinpoint.
139:
as "a kink ... when anything goes wrong down there , they say there's been a slight glitch". The astronaut
596:
562:
1096:
278:
is a transition that occurs on a signal before the signal settles to its intended value, particularly in a
1106:
336:
1111:
332:
298:, a pulse whose amplitude is smaller than the minimum level specified for correct operation, and a
129:. Either way, it is a relatively new term. It was first widely defined for the American people by
181:
came up with the new earliest use of the word yet found: May 19, 1940. That was when the novelist
473:
351:
291:
234:
20:
1101:
418:"Glitch hunters" are fans of a game who search for beneficial glitches that will allow them to
209:
Other examples from the world of radio can be found in the 1940s. The April 11, 1943, issue of
925:
444:
433:
354:
system used by the police in Austin, resulting in unresponded 911 calls, and an unexpected
262:'Glitch' probably comes from a German or Yiddish word meaning a slide, a glide or a slip".
240:
8:
485:
450:
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355:
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191:
177:
According to a Wall Street
Journal article written by Ben Zimmer, The Yale law librarian
135:
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41:
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Examples of computer glitches causing disruption include an unexpected shutdown of a
68:
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Some players may seek to induce glitches in a game for fun, using methods such as
32:
A railway station display affected by a visual glitch, corrupting some of the text
901:"Exploring the art of Dark Souls glitch hunting with world champion speedrunners"
279:
182:
162:
92:
53:
282:. Generally, this implies an electrical pulse of short duration, often due to a
524:
519:
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28:
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which is a genuine functionality-breaking problem. Alex
Pieschel, writing for
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Some games purposely include effects that look like glitches as a means to
423:
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371:
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178:
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67:
A glitch, which is slight and often temporary, differs from a more serious
61:
768:
201:, and other papers). Brush corroborated Tony Randall's radio recollection:
1046:
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quoted in Ben Zimmer, "The Hidden
History of Glitch", visualthesarus.com
381:
271:
49:
514:
496:
389:
295:
171:
170:, the term has been believed to enter common usage during the American
140:
57:
319:
frequently called computer glitches are incorrectly written software (
993:
709:"Water filtration plant temporarily shut down due to computer glitch"
307:
45:
960:
156:
John Daly further defined the word on the July 4, 1965, episode of
509:
111:
989:"A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games"
232:
made the transition from radio to television. In a 1953 ad in
949:
947:
874:"It's Not A Glitch. It's A Feature. It's Art. It's Beautiful"
795:"Interest rate computer glitch costs Westpac over $ 1m a day"
944:
495:(2008), opening film and best science fiction finalist at
956:"Meet the developers making bugs and glitches on purpose"
302:, a short pulse similar to a glitch but often caused by
849:"In defense of Bethesda's notorious videogame glitches"
60:. More generally, all types of systems including human
820:
Ofoe, Emmanuel-Yvan; William Pare (March 6–12, 2008).
769:"NASA revives Saturn probe, three weeks after glitch"
323:), incorrect instructions given by the operator (
1088:
819:
953:
1053:. New York: Doubleday and Company. p. 94.
189:in her column "Out of My Mind" (syndicated in
143:explained the term in his section of the book
115:
96:
350:plant in New Canaan, 2010, failures in the
484:(1976) includes glitch in its glossary of
396:problems, game crashes, and other issues.
223:The Advertising and Business Side of Radio
1066:"NY Horror Film Fest Night 4: The Shorts"
954:Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (March 24, 2021).
739:"911 computer glitch led to police delay"
641:
615:
898:
552:
392:may include graphical and sound errors,
375:
27:
846:
1089:
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813:
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365:
16:Short-lived fault in a computer system
676:"Yiddish Meets High Tech in 'Glitch'"
603:from the original on November 6, 2013
588:
467:
265:
91:, claim that the term comes from the
1063:
1045:
1001:from the original on October 5, 2016
932:from the original on January 4, 2017
847:Chilton, Maddi (September 6, 2016).
458:
1027:from the original on March 18, 2016
968:from the original on March 24, 2021
745:. November 15, 2010. Archived from
553:Pieschel, Alex (December 8, 2014).
415:tilting to disrupt the data flow.
13:
899:Donnelly, Joe (January 19, 2022).
828:from the original on April 8, 2008
715:. December 6, 2010. Archived from
655:from the original on June 24, 2016
629:from the original on March 4, 2016
313:
217:'s book about radio broadcasting,
14:
1123:
133:on the June 20, 1965, episode of
987:Conway, Steven (July 22, 2009).
880:from the original on May 2, 2017
674:Zimmer, Ben (November 2, 2013).
597:"The Hidden History of "Glitch""
87:Some reference books, including
64:and nature experience glitches.
1057:
1039:
1013:
980:
926:"Why Speedrunners Use Glitches"
918:
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866:
840:
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384:is affected by a visual glitch.
1064:Doto, Bob (November 7, 2008).
761:
731:
701:
667:
577:
546:
339:(sometimes called "hacking").
56:, as well as among players of
1:
649:"Online Etymology Dictionary"
555:"Glitches: A Kind of History"
540:
89:Random House's American Slang
82:
7:
1021:"Signal Strength Variables"
822:"Testing, testing, testing"
503:
380:The start-up screen of the
10:
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369:
18:
853:Kill Screen - Previously
474:Glitch (disambiguation)
352:Computer Aided Dispatch
21:Glitch (disambiguation)
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116:
97:
33:
445:Batman: Arkham Asylum
434:break the fourth wall
379:
203:
149:
31:
743:Austin News kxan.com
480:The nonfiction book
213:carried a review of
19:For other uses, see
1097:Digital electronics
1072:on January 21, 2010
876:. August 10, 2012.
824:. Montreal Mirror.
775:. November 24, 2010
749:on January 28, 2013
713:watertechonline.com
680:Wall Street Journal
486:citizens band radio
394:collision detection
366:Video game glitches
288:synchronous circuit
211:The Washington Post
192:The Washington Post
1107:Software anomalies
585:, acronymsandslang
565:on August 12, 2016
468:In popular culture
406:Bethesda Softworks
386:
266:Electronics glitch
248:A 1959 article in
124:to slide, to skid
34:
719:on August 9, 2011
459:Television glitch
398:Quality assurance
40:is a short-lived
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1068:. Archived from
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623:"Dictionary.com"
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561:. Archived from
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451:Assassin's Creed
439:Eternal Darkness
348:water filtration
329:computer viruses
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219:Mikes Don't Bite
198:The Boston Globe
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280:digital circuit
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183:Katharine Brush
147:, writing that
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333:Trojan attacks
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228:In the 1950s,
215:Helen Sioussat
158:What's My Line
136:What's My Line
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1074:. Retrieved
1070:the original
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1047:Bibb, Porter
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1029:. Retrieved
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970:. Retrieved
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934:. Retrieved
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884:November 10,
882:. Retrieved
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856:. Retrieved
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830:. Retrieved
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803:. Retrieved
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779:December 11,
777:. Retrieved
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753:December 11,
751:. Retrieved
747:the original
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733:
723:December 11,
721:. Retrieved
717:the original
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703:
693:November 11,
691:. Retrieved
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657:. Retrieved
643:
631:. Retrieved
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605:. Retrieved
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567:. Retrieved
563:the original
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535:Software bug
530:Hardware bug
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388:Glitches in
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372:Software bug
358:causing the
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276:logic hazard
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131:Bennett Cerf
88:
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1005:January 23,
799:www.afr.com
659:October 15,
633:October 15,
390:video games
382:Virtual Boy
272:electronics
58:video games
50:electronics
1091:Categories
905:gamesradar
541:References
515:Glitch art
497:Dragon Con
493:The Glitch
370:See also:
337:exploiting
296:runt pulse
292:flip-flops
274:glitch or
172:Space Race
145:Into Orbit
141:John Glenn
1031:March 17,
994:Gamasutra
972:March 24,
936:March 17,
688:0099-9660
413:cartridge
308:crosstalk
241:Billboard
98:glitschen
83:Etymology
46:computing
1076:March 3,
1051:CB Bible
1049:(1976).
1025:Archived
999:Archived
966:Archived
961:PC Gamer
930:Archived
878:Archived
832:June 17,
826:Archived
805:July 29,
773:NBC News
653:Archived
627:Archived
607:June 30,
601:Archived
504:See also
482:CB Bible
420:speedrun
356:bit flip
110:and the
75:, said:
510:Fuzzing
360:Cassini
304:ringing
251:Sponsor
117:glitshn
112:Yiddish
105:to slip
686:
427:series
230:glitch
187:glitch
93:German
38:glitch
425:Souls
402:build
300:spike
114:word
95:word
1078:2011
1033:2015
1007:2017
974:2021
938:2015
912:2024
886:2012
860:2024
834:2008
807:2015
781:2010
755:2010
725:2010
695:2020
684:ISSN
661:2012
635:2012
609:2017
571:2016
442:and
168:Time
163:Time
48:and
306:or
270:An
69:bug
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