13-year-old American Willis Gibson, known by his streaming alias Blue Scuti, has become the first person ever to beat the classic Nintendo video game Tetris. This feat, achieved over three decades after the game’s release, stunned the gaming world as Gibson navigated the game into a rare “kill screen” where it froze due to his extraordinary gameplay.
The remarkable moment occurred when Gibson, during a live stream on YouTube on January 2, anticipated the game crash as he expertly arranged the falling puzzle pieces. His reaction, a mix of shock and joy, was captured as he exclaimed “Oh my God!” upon realizing his success.
Gibson not only beat the game but also shattered several world records, including the highest overall score, the highest level achieved, and the most lines completed. This was confirmed by 404 Media, a prominent gaming news outlet.
Vince Clemente, CEO of the Classic Tetris World Championship, expressed his amazement to Reuters, noting that the game’s developers never anticipated anyone reaching this milestone. Until now, only an AI program had accomplished this feat.
Key to Gibson’s success is his use of the “rolling” controller technique, a method developed in 2021 allowing rapid manipulation of the game’s directional pad. This technique significantly outperforms the previously dominant “hyper tapping” method.
Tetris, a game that challenges players to arrange different falling block shapes, was created in 1984 by Alexey Pajitnov at the Moscow Academy of Science during the Cold War. Developed into a business venture by Henk Rogers, Tetris quickly became a global phenomenon and remains the best-selling video game of all time, with over 520 million copies sold, as reported by The Tetris Company.