Tetris has been famous for 34 years as “the unbeatable game”.
For >99% of players, the pieces simply end up descending too quickly, resulting in a tower of pieces that reach the top of the screen and end the game.
However, for the top players, the speed of descent maxes out at level 29, and a world of other challenges open up to them.
Recently a player called Blue Scuti reached the “kill screen”, which is when the game’s code stops working as intended and the game crashes. This was considered an almost impossible feat and the Holy Grail of Tetris achievements.
The journey of the Tetris community over three decades to eventually reach this point is filled with twists and turns. But what surprised me is how the community is immensely positive and supportive of each others and the game’s development. It’s a collective of people vs. the unbeatable game.
For my fellow video game nerds, I recommend checking out this great short YouTube documentary covering Blue Scuti’s achievement, and what may be next for Tetris.