13-year old boy beats Tetris
doubledragon
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The game was originally created in 1985, this kid is the first human to ever beat it. You don't really beat Tetris, but it was thought that if you get far enough along in the game that it could crash because the game can't handle it, but no human had ever done it until now. Here's the video.
'I can't feel my fingers': 13-year-old Tetris winner dumfounded after beating game
Tetris is an old-school video game, released nearly 40 years ago. But a 13-year-old from Oklahoma just pulled off a new trick on the classic, being the first player to truly beat the game.
Willis Gibson, 13, of Stillwater, Okla., recently earned the ultimate achievement in the game, developed by Russian scientist Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. He successfully manipulated the waves of falling shapes for more than 38 minutes until the game crashed, as can be seen in a video posted on his YouTube page, and reached the "kill screen."
“It’s never been done by a human before,” said Vince Clemente, the president of the Classic Tetris World Championship, told The New York Times. “It’s basically something that everyone thought was impossible until a couple of years ago.”Tetris arrived on the video game world first as a PC game, but it exploded in 1989 when it was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and bundled with the Nintendo Game Boy handheld. In the past, when players hit the 29th level of the game, pieces fell so fast players weren't able to catch up – only an artificial intelligence program had beaten the game, video game news site Polygon reported.
Tetris, an addictive brain-teasing video game, is shown as played on the Nintendo Entertainment System in New York, June 1990. Created by a Soviet scientist, Tetris is the first Communist bloc video game to hit it big in the free market.
How did an Oklahoma teenager beat Tetris?
Younger players have learned how to keep up with the game – and go to previously unforeseen levels – by using innovative technique such as "hypertapping," where the player uses the directional arrows, not just the left and right buttons, so the controller moves faster, and "rolling," engaging the buttons by drumming the underside of the controller, according to Polygon.
“There’s a little D-pad on the controller that you can press down, and it will go left or right,” Willis told the Stillwater (Okla.) News Press. “Instead of manually just tapping each piece every single time, what you do is you hover your finger over the button just barely so it doesn’t cause an input left or right, and then you roll your fingers on the back of the controller. So each finger causes an input.”
Willis Gibson, 13, of Stillwater, Okla., at the recent 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship in October 2023, where he took third place. Two months later, he became the first player to beat Tetris by crashing the video game.
Gibson wasn't just lucky. A gamer who competes using the moniker Blue Scuti (in honor of the universe's largest known star UY Scuti), he took third place at the recent 2023 Classic Tetris World Championship in October. But he made history on Dec. 21, playing long enough to get the game to crash.
"Please crash," he says just after passing the 38-minute mark on the video. At this point, Willis is at Level 157, but the displays "Level 18" because it was not developed to go that high.
When the game crashes and locks up seconds later, Willis exclaims, "Oh, oh, oh," and raises his hands to his head. "Omigod. Yes. I can't feel my fingers."
Teen Tetris player had some 'nerves' but kept his cool
During an interview later with streamer ITZsharky on the Classic Tetris YouTube channel, Gibson said, "my biggest struggle was when the nerves started kicking in after 30 minutes of play."
His mother, Karin Cox, posted on Facebook, "It's crazy to think he is a professional Tetris player and one of the best in the world. He makes more money every month from this than I ever did as a teenager."
Willis, who began playing Tetris at the age of 11, and other competitive gamers will now keep trying to reach the kill screen with more efficient, higher score, he said.
He dedicated his win to his dad, Adam Gibson, who passed away Dec. 14, at age 39.
Comments
I used to play Tetris a lot back in the day, I had a Game Boy and Tetris came with it. Those are highly collectible today, and if they are still factory sealed they can be quite pricey.
That is awesome and an amazing accomplishment for a kid his age,I hope that the owners of the Tetris franchise show this kid some love in some way.
I play this version of Tetris quite frequently here https://tetris.com/play-tetris and I know I haven't come anywhere close to level 157 lol.
Sidenote,if anyone hasn't seen the recent movie Tetris its definitely worth the watch. Here's the trailer...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BLM1naCfME
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Congrats to that kid!!! My biggest gaming wins came from beating Mike Tyson at Tyson Punch-Out in all 3 possible ways KO, TKO and by decision still the only one of my friends to have ever beat him in any of those 3. Took me a long time to get that done but was so happy when I beat him the 1st time.
My hands were sweating so bad I was nervous the whole time when fighting Tyson I must have lost to him 100's of times.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
A Tetris/communist action movie, I like it! 👍
Its actually the true story on how the game became public. BEWARE...watching that movie leads to finding a site online to play Tetris free to the point that your flash player on your laptop needs to be updated. i personally don't know if this happens but its what I've heard. 😎
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Getting addicted again to Tetris is the last thing I need, I'm hooked on the "Who wants to be a millionaire" game app as we speak! 😂😂
Very cool!!
I love Tetris
It's fascinating to think that people are still playing the game after all these years. My favorite game from back in the day is Super Mario, played it all day and night.
I started gaming back in the early 1980's with my atari and still game till this day. I love getting lost in other worlds it is a cheap way of passing time. Playing the new Resident Evil 4 at the moment and will start Elden Ring once I am done. I also enjoy the Nintendo Switch I have yet to play the newer Zelda. Breath of the Wild was awesome!!! Elden Ring 2 is coming out I believe. PC games are great as well. I must have finished over 1000 games in my life. And after all these years I still very much enjoy this hobby.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
Loved going to arcades as a teen so much fun and people actually talked to each other back then. Was never a rich guy all my family was working class and trades people (sure trades pay a lot but most of them had stay at home wives). For us this was the way we could live adventures and still afford to eat.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
My son got me addicted to RE games back in the early 00's which peaked with the original RE4, the remake is really just a phenomenal game especially if you add the DLC content. I just bought the OG 4,5,6,0 & 1 on the PS4 yesterday for just $23. I admit I have an addiction to shooting zombies lol.
My kids (grown up now) & I also loved the Zelda series although I haven't played any of the newer ones after Twilight Princess. We used to play mostly Zelda, Mario. RE, Little Big Planet & COD but I've sat around for hours watching my son play others like Elden Ring meant Skyrim,Fallout,GTA.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Used to play all the golf games. Tiger Woods. Etc. I was Microsoft golf #1 player for over a year.
Now I stick with Madden at the highest difficulty. I play against the computer. No online addiction’s anymore
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Resident Evil is a great series I played them all except this new #4. RE 0-1-2-7 are my favourites of the series. I just purchased Elder Scrolls 3 today for my PC. I played 4-5 and the online game. Can't wait for GTA 6 I played 2-3-4-5.
If you want a great series play Risen 1-2-3 on PC or 2-3 on PS4 or PS5. They have yet to add the 1st one. This is a great pirate series. Monkey Island 1-2-3-4-5 and the new one as well are some of my all-time favourite pirate games as well.
If you never tried Mass Effect trilogy and the other one they are suppose to be awesome. I have them but have not played them yet.
If you love shooting zombies play Dead Island the series has 3 games. Last of us 1-2 as well. When playing the 1st 2 Dead Islands I used the 1 hit wonder rapper he was entertaining and made me laugh many times. I have not played the new one yet.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
There are many great series like Fallout and The Witcher. The Witcher 3 is on PlayStation but 1-2 are on the PC.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
I own all of the RE games outside of a few of the earlier obscure titles,like Outbreak, and the only mainline game I haven't played yet is 7,which I'll end up buying at some point soon. I really just got back into gaming the day that the RE4R was released in early 2023. I bought a PS4 and have since been buying the RE line.
I'm pretty sure that I've played the original Dead Island,dead Rising & Last of Us games but none lately. i've kind of stayed away from going down that rabbit hole with so many other games, I think that if I were to start playing other games I'd probably buy whichever the most recent Nintendo console
is (Switch?) that allows me to play most if not all of the Zelda games. I haven't done that yet because it won't be cheap lol.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
You see, I've been playing this for days, I'm hooked, I've become a full blown "Who wants to be a millionaire" junkie. Sorry but I gotta go everybody, I get a free mystery box in 5 minutes!
Remember, never choose the letter E, and you should be okay.
FWIW, the "Tetris" movie bears only a passing resemblance to the true story.
If you want an in-depth look at the real story, The Gaming Historian has you covered:
I've always preferred other versions of Tetris than the Nintendo-made version referenced in this news story. My all-time favorite is probably the Apple IIGS version that I played the heck out of as a kid. Also a big fan of the Tengen version for the NES - always thought it was far superior to the one made by Nintendo. I've owned a version of Tetris on nearly every console or computer I've ever owned. Heck, I even wrote my own version for Windows years ago.
You play All Madden level?
That is extremely difficult to the point where it isn't even fun lol
Thanks, I'll definitely give it a watch.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
@Tabe Thanks again for sharing that documentary, it was definitely worth the watch!
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I have six extremely effective pass plays where I read the safeties and line backers that give me two options at receiver on every play. The defense adjusts at half time and I reverse the offense to short side. Defense can be extremely difficult as the middle always seems wide open unless you drop your middle linebacker into a dime. Don’t win all the time but what fun is blowing opponents out 63-14 every game. Win % above 61%
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
You're quite welcome. ALL of his documentaries are great.