The third week of November 2024 was particularly challenging. I was splitting my time between two new releases: Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Both were proving problematic.
And by "playing," I really mean "watching loading screens." Between Stalker 2's endless shader compilation and Flight Sim's interminable package activation, I spent the majority of my week staring dejectedly at progress bars. But the frustration didn't end there. Once these games finally loaded, they were riddled with glitches. Stalker 2's jank was somewhat charming, but Flight Sim's, not so much.
Jank is a strange phenomenon because it evokes two completely opposite reactions from me: either amusement or an intense desire to see the developers publicly shamed.
Why is jank sometimes forgivable, even endearing, while other times it's infuriating? It depends on a few factors:
Past Experiences
In Stalker 2, there's an NPC stuck in the ground, head buried, legs in the air. I find it hilarious, reminiscent of the earlier Stalker games, which were equally glitchy. I can't interact with him, which should be annoying, but nostalgia overrides any frustration.
I've poured countless hours into Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat, and even more into Bethesda's notoriously buggy RPGs like Oblivion, Skyrim, and Fallout. I wouldn't have invested so much time in those games if I didn't love them, so I'm more tolerant of glitches in newer titles from those studios, like Stalker 2 or Starfield.
Open Worlds
Open worlds are complex, and I'm very forgiving of jank in these environments. They're dynamic, with numerous elements interacting in unpredictable ways. Creating AI that can navigate this complexity is a challenge, especially when the player can further alter the environment.
So, if an alien cow in No Man's Sky moves awkwardly, it's understandable. The planet and the creature were likely procedurally generated moments ago. Open worlds, particularly those that are procedurally generated, are breeding grounds for jank, and I'm generally okay with that.
Progress Impediment
Jank becomes truly irritating when it hinders my progress. A mission-critical enemy in Stalker 2 stuck behind a wall, preventing completion? Infuriating. Similarly, in Flight Sim, finding my designated parking spot occupied by a building is not amusing.
However, there's a flip side. Sometimes jank works in my favor. Enemies failing to notice me even as I shoot at them in Stalker 2, or receiving an undeservedly high rating for a terrible landing in Flight Sim – these are instances where jank saves me time and frustration.
Expectations
It seems every game launches in a state of early access these days. Bugs, glitches, and jank are expected, with post-release patches addressing these issues. Many games initially receive "Mixed" reviews on Steam due to jank, only to improve to "Positive" after a few weeks of updates.
Playing a game on release day means accepting a certain level of jank. It's unfortunate for both players and developers, but it's the current reality. I even had to temporarily abandon Stalker 2 due to game-breaking bugs. If you can't tolerate this, perhaps waiting for post-release patches is the solution.
Humor
Humor can redeem almost any flaw. Cyberpunk 2077 was a buggy mess at launch, but it was also incredibly funny. There was a corner near V's apartment that no NPC could navigate without crashing. I spent hours watching them wreck their cars.
This particular glitch persisted for months. With every patch, I'd check if it was still there, and when it was finally fixed, I felt a pang of sadness. I sometimes wish these unintentionally funny glitches would remain. I'm not alone; when Bethesda patched out the moving mannequins in Skyrim, a modder promptly restored them. Some jank is just too good to lose.
Perhaps I'm overthinking this. Maybe we forgive jank because we simply love games, flaws and all. After all, if we only loved perfect things, we'd never love anything.
