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13-Year-Old Makes Gaming History by Breaking Tetris
Thirteen-year-old Willis Gibson, known as “blue scuti” in the gaming world, has achieved what was once thought impossible: he became the first person to “beat” the original Nintendo version of Tetris by triggering a rare “kill screen.” This highly coveted milestone, which occurs when the game’s code glitches and crashes, marks a monumental moment in gaming history. For decades, Tetris was considered unbeatable, as its design lacks a scripted ending, with blocks falling faster and faster as players progress. However, on December 21, Willis defied expectations by reaching Level 157, where the game finally broke under the strain of his skill.
The journey to this moment was decades in the making. Early players of Tetris were stuck in the 20s and 30s, as the techniques to progress further simply didn’t exist. Level 29 posed a significant challenge; at that speed, the falling blocks outpaced the responsiveness of the standard controller. In 2011, a breakthrough called “hypertapping” allowed players to rhythmically vibrate their fingers to increase input speed, pushing the limits to Level 35 by 2018. Yet another leap came in 2020 with the introduction of “rolling,” an innovative method where players used multiple fingers to manipulate the controller faster than ever, propelling them to Level 95 by 2022. Despite these advancements, unforeseen challenges emerged at higher levels, revealing quirks in the game’s decades-old programming.
One of the most significant obstacles arose with Tetris’s color palette. Traditionally, the game cycles through ten distinct color patterns to keep blocks distinguishable. However, at Level 138 and beyond, random and often confusing combinations appeared, making it nearly impossible to differentiate blocks from the game’s black background. Two particularly problematic patterns, nicknamed “Dusk” and “Charcoal,” presented a visual nightmare for players. Combined with the grueling endurance required for games lasting over 40 minutes, progress slowed to a crawl. These roadblocks spurred the involvement of artificial intelligence. StackRabbit, an AI program designed to push Tetris to its limits, reached Level 237 on a modified version of the game, identifying specific scenarios that could cause crashes. While its achievements weren’t directly transferable to human play, StackRabbit provided invaluable insights, inspiring players to meticulously map out conditions that could lead to kill screens.
This detailed groundwork paved the way for Willis’s historic run. Armed with knowledge gleaned from years of community effort, he set out to achieve what no one had before. When the game crashed at Level 157, his livestream captured the raw emotion of the moment. Hyperventilating and clutching his head, Willis could only gasp, “Oh my God,” as he processed the enormity of his accomplishment. Even in disbelief, he knew he had just made history.
Willis’s achievement is a testament to the ingenuity and persistence of the gaming community, showcasing how far players have come since Tetris first captivated the world nearly 40 years ago. Maya Rogers, CEO of Tetris, congratulated Willis on his groundbreaking feat, calling it a monumental accomplishment that defies the limits of this legendary game. As Tetris celebrates its 40th anniversary, Willis’s victory stands as a reminder of why this simple yet endlessly challenging game remains a cultural icon. From early techniques like hypertapping to the precision of rolling and the guidance of AI, the path to “beating” Tetris has been a collaborative journey, culminating in a moment that will be remembered as one of gaming’s greatest milestones.