Trying to beat Tetris is like having an argument with a fridge, it’s pointless. At one point or another, we’ve all attempted it, only to retreat like a valiant soldier at war. Head down, sweaty brow, we dream of the day a brave warrior beats Tetris.
Today is that day.
13-year-old Willis Gibson from Oklahoma has done the impossible and beaten Tetris. 40 years after its release, Gibson is the first human gamer to reach level 157 of the video game. The only winners previously had been bots and AI.
In a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday, Gibson said “I’m going to pass out, I can’t feel my fingers” after achieving the near impossible feat.
“Oh my God, oh my God” Gibson can be heard saying 39 minutes into his game, seconds after he almost misplaced a block and blew his chance of winning.
To win, the Tetris prodigy used a new technique called “rolling”, in which he holds the controller in such a manner that he can press the clicker up to 20 times a second. In a sobering moment, no one else was around when he made history as his mum was at work. His mum later gave him a high five.
The game was created by Soviet Engineer, Alexey Pajitnov to test a new type of computer and how powerful it was. It was later mass popularised on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game has also been sold 100 million times, making it the third best- selling video game of all time.
The win was bittersweet for the teen who dedicated the game to his father, Adam Gibson who died on December 14, 2023.
We honour you, Mr Gibson from Oklahoma. The war is over. We can all rest easy.
