Tetris: A 13-year-old boy has been declared the first player to beat the iconic video game

In an unprecedented achievement, Willis Gibson13-year-old boy from Stillwater, Oklahoma becomes the first person to “beat” the classic video game tetris In the original Nintendo version, an achievement previously attributed only to artificial intelligence.

After reaching level 157 in just 38 minutes during the live broadcast, Gibson experienced what is called “Screen of Death” of the game, to a point where it is no longer playable due to its coding limitations. “I’m about to faint, I can’t feel my fingers.”the teen declared, testifying to the surprise and adrenaline of that moment.

This Tetris prodigy, also known by his nickname “Blue Scotty,” has been a part of the competitive Tetris world since 2021 and has won multiple regional tournaments, including third place at the Classic Tetris World Championships in October 2023.

His next tournament is scheduled for later this month in Waco, Texas. To date, Willis has collected nearly $3,000 in Tetris tournament prizes. His mother, karen coxA high school math teacher supporting his passion provided him with a retro console and an old cathode ray tube TV.

Alexey Pajitnov, Soviet software engineer invented Tetris 1984, And since their debut in Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) And Nintendo’s Game Boy portable console in 1989, has been one of the best-selling and famous games.

For decades, the human limit for playing Tetris was considered to be level 29 due to the speed of falling blocks. However, a new generation of players has challenged and expanded these boundaries. Willis has said of Tetris that it is a game of “simplicity”. “It’s easy to start, but really hard to master”,

Achievements like Willis’s opened new doors for Tetris players. For example, he paused the game by clearing a row of blocks. david macdonaldA video game content creator and competitive Tetris player, noted the new York Times No one had ever reached such a trigger point and now there’s one “New phase or new challenge”The focus of the current competition in Tetris is changing.

The competitive world of Tetris has traditionally focused on beating opponents’ scores rather than surviving the game. “Trying to force failure” is a different approach, it is an act of survival, as described by Willis, whose main strategy is “Play as safe as possible”,

In recent years, elite players have begun to use the “rolling technique”, which has changed what is possible in competitive Tetris, leading to more players attempting to “force fail” rather than racking up points.

The young man with sandy brown hair and black-framed glasses prefers older games over modern ones, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him playing a PlayStation 5 any time soon.

Plus, one continues to be amazed at the innate potential of the gaming world Willis “Blue Scotty” Gibson, the boy who has reached a new level in video game history. His achievement is no longer just a matter of personal record, but a milestone for all Tetris players who now want to surpass the new limits he has set.

(Source: The New York Times, BBC and Popular Science.)