Glitch

For a list of all articles on glitches, see Category:Glitches.

A well-known glitch in Brawl that makes Jigglypuff very large.

A glitch is an error in the programming of a video game. They alter gameplay by causing things to happen that were not intended by the game's designers. The main reason for a glitch occurring is that the sequence of events required to trigger it are statistically very unlikely to occur in normal gameplay. Programming is very time consuming, so no measures will be taken to prevent the glitch from happening, as the programmers presume that the required sequence of events will never happen. For instance, it is very unlikely that a Lip's Stick will be picked up the frame before it disappears, but if it is, then the SLAPASTICK glitch occurs.

Side affects to the game that glitches cause can vary. Glitches can be harmful, with such side effects as freezing the game, causing a level to be unplayable, or killing a player for no apparent reason. Not all glitches have negative side effects, however; some just allow the player to continue playing the game as usual, such as the Black hole glitch, while other can merely be done for fun, such as the Name Entry glitch and all of its variations.

A majority of glitches, however, cannot be compounded with a smasher's ordinary tactics in tournaments; a majority of glitches require prerequisites that are unattainable in a tournament setting, such as items, Final Smashes, more than two players, etc. Additionally, most glitches are banned, such as the Freeze glitch, though others, such as the Teleport glitch from Super Smash Bros. are considered fair.

Some glitches in Super Smash Bros. Melee have become very well known, such as the Black hole glitch and the Yoyo/Jacket glitch.