| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) In the provided article [2877], a software failure incident related to overheating and causing hardware damage was reported by a StarCraft player named Ricardo. The incident involved playing StarCraft 2 on a 2008 iMac with a GeForce 8800 GPU, which led to the computer crashing in-game and displaying a checker pattern on the screen. This incident highlights a case where the game itself may have contributed to the hardware failure due to overheating issues. Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of StarCraft 2, acknowledged the reports of overheating during gameplay and recommended solutions to limit frame rates to reduce heat generation.
(b) The article [2877] does not mention any similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. It primarily focuses on the specific case of hardware damage caused by playing StarCraft 2 on a particular iMac model. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. The incident with StarCraft 2 causing hardware to overheat and fail was attributed to how the game handled the game's menu screens. Initially, the game did not have a frame rate cap enabled, which led to the system trying to render all scenes as fast as possible, resulting in simpler graphics like menus being redrawn rapidly and causing GPU heat generation. Blizzard recommended users to edit the "variables.txt" file to limit frame rates and reduce heat generation [2877].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also highlighted in the article. Users reported that playing StarCraft 2 caused their hardware to overheat and fail. The game's intense graphics demanded processing power, leading to overheating issues in some systems. While most systems have features to throttle back components when they get too hot, there is a possibility that these features may not work properly under sustained high heat, resulting in broken hardware [2877]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
The software failure incident related to the boundary of the failure can be categorized as follows:
(a) within_system: The incident involving StarCraft 2 causing hardware to overheat and fail on some computers is primarily attributed to factors within the system. The game's lack of a frame rate cap initially led to rapid rendering of scenes, particularly menus, resulting in increased GPU heat generation. Blizzard acknowledged this issue and recommended users to manually cap the frame rates to prevent overheating. Software patches were also released to potentially address this problem [2877].
(b) outside_system: While the software itself contributed to the overheating issue, it is important to note that external factors such as existing hardware faults could also have played a role in the failure incident. The article mentions that the root cause could be a combination of faults in the hardware along with glitches in the game, indicating that factors outside the system (hardware issues) may have exacerbated the situation [2877]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident in the article was primarily attributed to a combination of faults in the hardware along with glitches in the game itself. Specifically, the game StarCraft 2 was reported to cause hardware to overheat and fail, leading to issues such as GPUs being fried and computers becoming inoperable. Blizzard Entertainment acknowledged the problem and recommended solutions like limiting frame rates to reduce heat generation [2877].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The article does not provide specific information about the software failure incident being directly caused by human actions. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The incident reported in the article mentions that some users experienced hardware failures, specifically the Nvidia 8800 GPU, after playing StarCraft 2 on their iMacs. The game was reported to cause the computer to overheat and fail, leading to issues such as a checker pattern on the screen and the computer not being able to boot up anymore [2877].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The article highlights that the game itself, StarCraft 2, may have contributed to the hardware issues experienced by some users. Initially, the game did not have a frame rate cap enabled, causing the system to render scenes rapidly and resulting in GPU heat generation. Blizzard recommended users to edit the "variables.txt" file to limit frame rates and reduce heat generation. Additionally, software patches were released to address overheating issues, indicating that the software itself played a role in the incident [2877]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issue with StarCraft 2 causing hardware to overheat and fail was not intentional but rather a result of how the game handled graphics rendering and heat generation. Blizzard Entertainment acknowledged the problem and recommended solutions to prevent overheating, such as editing configuration files and applying software patches [2877]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the overheating and hardware damage caused by playing StarCraft 2 on certain systems can be attributed to poor_decisions. Blizzard Entertainment initially released the game without a frame rate cap enabled, causing the system to render scenes as fast as possible, including simpler graphics like menus being redrawn rapidly, leading to GPU heat generation. This poor decision contributed to the overheating issue experienced by some players, ultimately resulting in hardware failures [2877]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the incident was caused by factors introduced due to lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the article. The incident involved the game StarCraft 2 causing hardware to overheat and fail on some computers, leading to issues such as a checker pattern on the screen and the computer not booting up properly. This overheating issue was initially due to the game not having a frame rate cap enabled, causing rapid rendering of simpler graphics like menus and resulting in GPU heat generation. Blizzard later recommended users to edit a configuration file to limit frame rates and reduce heat generation. The article suggests that the incident was a combination of faults in the hardware along with glitches in the game, indicating that the failure was accidental rather than intentional [2877]. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article can be categorized as both permanent and temporary.
(a) Permanent: The incident resulted in permanent damage to the hardware, specifically the Nvidia 8800 GPU, which was fried to the point where the computer couldn't even boot up anymore [2877].
(b) Temporary: The overheating issue causing the hardware failure was attributed to how the game, StarCraft 2, handled the game's menu screens. Initially, the game did not have a frame rate cap enabled, leading to rapid rendering of simpler graphics like menus and resulting in GPU heat generation. Blizzard recommended editing the "variables.txt" file to limit frame rates, which could prevent overheating situations [2877]. Additionally, software patches were released to address the overheating issue, indicating that the problem could be mitigated through software updates [2877]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article involves crashes where the system loses state and fails to perform its intended functions. Players reported that after playing StarCraft 2, their computers crashed, and in one case, the computer failed to boot up and displayed a checker pattern on the screen, indicating a system crash [2877].
(b) omission: The article does not mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions.
(c) timing: The article does not mention any instances of the system performing its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident does involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. In this case, the game's lack of a frame rate cap led to rapid rendering of scenes, including menus, causing excessive GPU heat generation and potential hardware damage [2877].
(e) byzantine: The article does not describe the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is related to the system's response to overheating. While most systems have features to throttle back components when overheated, in extreme conditions, some systems may freeze, potentially leading to broken hardware. This behavior is not explicitly categorized in the options provided but highlights the importance of proper heat management in preventing hardware damage [2877]. |