A group of students at the University of Bristol has suggested that video gamers who exploit glitches in games can help experts better understand buggy software. Known as ‘speedrunners’, these gamers can quickly complete games by working out their malfunctions. The students examined four classic Super Mario games and analyzed 237 known glitches within them, classifying a variety of weaknesses. This research aims to explore whether these glitches are similar to the bugs exploited in more conventional software.
The Super Mario platforming games are iconic and have been studied by speedrunners for decades. By examining four of the earliest Mario platforming games, including Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64, the team aimed to understand the glitches that speedrunners exploit. The games, though old, are still competitively run by speedrunners, with new records frequently being set. The team found 237 known glitches within the games, classifying various weaknesses in an effort to aid software engineers in making applications more robust.
Dr. Joseph Hallett from Bristol’s School of Computer Science explained that early video games like the Super Mario series were written for consoles that had different hardware constraints compared to modern gaming systems. These constraints, such as limited memory and buses, required aggressive optimization and tricks to make games run effectively. Programming for these systems resembles embedded development, as developers had to work around the hardware limits to create games. Despite these challenges, new games inspired by retro classics continue to be released.
Categorizing bugs in software is essential for developers to understand and address similar problems and vulnerabilities. The Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) is a category system for hardware and software weaknesses. The team identified seven new categories of weaknesses that were previously unspecified. Dr. Hallett mentioned that some of the glitches used by speedrunners do not fit neatly into existing software defect taxonomies, indicating the presence of new kinds of bugs to look for in more general software.
By thematically analyzing glitches with the help of a codebook of existing software weaknesses (CWE), the team aims to categorize complex phenomena associated with video game glitches. Research like this is noteworthy for its recognition of speedrunners’ work and the serious study of this aspect of gaming that has not received significant attention in academia before. Understanding how speedrunners exploit glitches can provide insights into whether these bugs are similar to those found in other software systems. The team discovered new tricks used by speedrunners that were previously unknown.
Currently, the team is focusing on studying glitches within Pokémon video games. This research builds on the insights gained from analyzing Super Mario games, with the aim of further understanding how glitches are exploited in different types of games. By studying glitches in a variety of video games, researchers can gain valuable insights into software vulnerabilities and weaknesses that can inform future software development practices. This interdisciplinary approach to studying video game glitches sheds light on a previously overlooked area of research and highlights the potential for collaboration between gamers and software engineers.
