Jank Accounts: We Should Study 'Broken' Games

Human-computer interaction (HCI) research has traditionally prioritized usability, fluidity, and polish as the primary drivers of positive player experience. However, this focus overlooks the phenomenon of "jank"—gaming vernacular for elements like clumsy controls, visual glitches, or erratic NPC behavior that are often perceived as broken yet are frequently met with player affection and appreciation. The core thesis argues that jank is not merely a design failure but a meaningful, complex aspect of player experience that challenges conventional usability assumptions and warrants deeper academic investigation.

By analyzing player discourse and existing design practices, the research highlights that jank can function as an aesthetic experience, similar to how artists in other media use breakdown and failure to provoke reflection. When games exhibit jank, they often disrupt the player’s immersion, drawing attention to the materiality of the software and the underlying labor of the developers. This friction can shift the player’s role from a passive consumer of a seamless experience to an active participant engaged in sensemaking and interpretation. Furthermore, intentional jank is increasingly used as a design tool to challenge player agency, forcing users to navigate constraints that foster reflection on the nature of play itself.

The scope of this inquiry spans the intersection of game design, HCI theory, and aesthetics, drawing on qualitative evidence from game journalism, player communities, and specific case studies of "janky" titles. By situating jank within broader HCI concepts of breakdown and seamful design, the analysis concludes that studying these "broken" elements provides valuable insights into how players navigate adversity and find meaning in technological imperfection. This perspective encourages researchers to look beyond standard metrics of competence and fluidity to better understand the diverse ways games function as reflective, aesthetic experiences.