Gameplay Journal Entry #4

The modded experience I found most compelling was Hugo Montembeault’s The Bug Hunter. What originally intrigued me was the jolting aesthetic. It was created by Montembeault’s juxtaposition of two aesthetics: illusionist and non-mimetic. While everything surface seems normal, just another Unity game, it glitches to a strongly irregular form. Mechanically the goal for this glitch project was to reinvent “the planned experience for subversive and rhetorical purposes (redirection)” ( (Montembeault 3.1) in order to make the gaming experience different from the original intent. The mechanics are implemented to interrupt the normal gaming experience to divert attention to the inner workings of the game. What may seem as a mechanical error is actually an intentionally implemented glitch to reveal the “other side” so to speak of the game. It adds dimension and exploration outside what is expected.

This ties into Galloways concept of countergaming because it “the game loses its rule set completely and ceases to be a game after all.” (Galloway 107) In terms of subverting the formal structures, Montembeault keeps formal elements such as the “levelling system, time pressure, genre expectations, positive feedback, obvious engaging challenges, etc.” (Montembeault 3.1) but uses the glitches to entice the player and allude to a more difficult, secretive part of the game. The goal now isnt to win, but to become a “glitch hunter” (Montembeault 3.1) that seeks out exploitations. That’s how you in other terms, succeed, at the game. It critiques the mainstream idea that glitches are bad, errors to be fixed, and instead an opportunity to explore.

Sources:

Galloway, Alexander R. Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture. University of Minnesota Press, 2010.

Montembeault , Hugo. “Bug Hunter — Design Document — Art Concept.” Bug Hunter — Game Design Document, www.thebughunter.ca/design-doc/artconcept.

Montembeault, Hugo. “Bug Hunter — Art Manifesto.” Bug Hunter — Art, www.thebughunter.ca/manifesto.

Let’s Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlrRpyyhREE