A 13-year-old YouTuber says he’s the first person to beat Nintendo’s original Tetris puzzle game, even uploaded a video of the purported feat Tuesday.
Going by Blue Scuti on YouTube, Willis Gibson wrote in the caption of the video, “When I started playing this game I never expected to ever crash the game, or beat it.”
Tetris, invented in the Soviet Union in 1984, was ported to the West on the Nintendo Entertainment System NES in 1989.
Artificial intelligence had frozen the game, according to the technology website 404 Media. But no human cleared so many lines that the game froze without sending more blocks — until Willis appears to have done on the video.
The victorious gamer was left amazed following his marathon session, saying after the screen froze, “Oh my God. Yes. I’m going to pass out. I can’t feel my fingers. I can’t feel my hands.”
The fateful 38-minute game was played on Dec. 21, according to Popular Science.
Willis reached level 157, just weeks after other gamers had managed to get to level 148. The Oklahoma teen has played the game for two years and competed in Tetris tournaments, according to the BBC.
Tetris executives also cheered the unprecedented gaming achievement.
“As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tetris this year, moments like these truly showcase the passion and dedication of Tetris enthusiasts. Congratulations to Blue Scuti for achieving this extraordinary accomplishment, a feat that defies all preconceived limits of this legendary game,” Tetris CEO Maya Rogers said in a statement to Popular Science.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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