₲Ⱡł₮₵Ⱨ culture and what it tells brands about reaching gamers
By Creative team. Top image: CD Projekt Red
How glitches reveal the secret sauce to authentic engagement
Glitches are a notorious, celebrated, and much-memed aspect of gaming culture. They are the videogame equivalent of pratfalls, continuity errors, and wardrobe malfunctions: occurring when flaws in the game design become part of the entertainment, and cultural moments in their own right.
It’s a bug’s life
Glitch culture embraces the unexpected and leans into happy accidents, or the possibilities of unconventional partnerships and creations.
Gamers and game creators understand the power of glitch content. Discovering and experiencing glitches is an opportunity for:
Self-expression
Competitive advantage
Sharing an amusing moment
Finding something new
Pushing the product beyond the designer’s vision
Moreover, not being afraid to present yourself with a “layer of shine” removed can be a powerfully authentic way to engage with gaming audiences - and Gen Z in particular - as the demographic who truly value discovering the reality behind the image.
One example is Burger King.
To appeal to gamers, Burger King ‘glitched’ its entire offering and authentically gamified itself.
The fast-food giant placed glitches in its own app: inviting users to find the ‘bugs’ and rewarding them for doing so.
It also offered discounts for sharing game glitches across social, created a glitched restaurant in the metaverse, and even made a glitched Whopper available IRL.
Tying all of this together was the campaign platform: It’s not a mistake, if it’s delicious.
Here’s a taste of that campaign…
Other gaming-savvy brands have ridden the trend too:
One of dbrand’s most popular gadget skins is this glitch camo design.
Nike has adopted the glitch with the Nike Air Force 1 Low Glitch and its accompanying range. (Notice the logo on the shoe.)
While this wooden furniture - carved to look like it’s glitching - got 80,000 likes in just a few days on Instagram.
What can brands learn from Glitch culture?
Firstly, gamers have been talking about and sharing glitches since the dawn of the medium, so nobody should think this trend is a flash-in-the-pan.
More importantly, glitch culture tells us that gamers love it when brands loosen up occasionally.
A glimpse behind-the-curtain - one that shows failure, as well as success - is very human, funny, and playful when handled well.
It’s kind of glitchy and utterly compelling to own our mistakes and rough edges.
We know that makes us more believable, relatable, and truthful as people, and the same goes for brands - as Burger King’s campaign shows.
In sum, Glitch culture goes to the heart of the gaming mentality. Gamers are magnetically attracted to:
Discovery
Testing boundaries
Breaking free of limits in playful and fun ways
Challenging authority
Hacking, remixing, and reshaping products to show their creativity
Deepening their relationship with collaborative brands who understand them
Our Creative team is always on call to guide your brand through this world, and help you reach gamers in new and authentic ways.
If you would like to discover more about our integrated approach and work together on a project, get in touch.
