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The New Yorker
Cultural Comment

The Revolution in Classic Tetris

How a younger generation used the Internet to master the falling
blocks.

By Jacob Sweet

March 26, 2021

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A man with glasses waving his fingers while Tetris shapes float
around him.
Illustration by Nick Little

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It was the final match of the 2016 Classic Tetris World Championship,
and Jeff Moore, a thirty-six-year-old from Las Vegas, was playing out
of his mind. "Boom!" the announcers yelled with each four-line
clearance. "Tetris for Jeff!" Their enthusiasm couldn't be contained.
Jeff's opponent, a taproom manager in his mid-thirties named Jonas
Neubauer, had won the world title five times. Jeff had never even
been close. Could he defeat the Michael Jordan of falling blocks?
"He's ready for a Tetris--where is the long bar? Are we going to see
it?" the announcers cried, talking over one another, voices stacking
in intensity. After a few seconds, the longed-for rectangle arrived.
Four lines, cleared. Jeff, who was staring placidly at an outdated
television set, was soaring to the pinnacle of piece-piling.

Alas, Jeff could not shake the Tetris hierarchy. Jonas beat him
handily, sending him home with a silver T-piece trophy and a
five-hundred-dollar prize. Trey Harrison, the tournament's chief
technical officer, helped to upload the match footage to YouTube,
mainly for archival purposes. Months later, he noticed something
strange. "It was just blowing up," he said. "I don't know why. The
views just kept climbing and climbing and climbing." Soon there were
spin-offs. Someone compiled every "Boom, Tetris!" from the match into
a video that stretched more than two minutes. Another user posted a
quick-cut video of the tournament's especially meme-able moments.
"Boom, Tetris for Jeff!" was a sensation.

Jacob Sweet is a writer and clarinetist from Carmel, New York.
More:TetrisVideo GamesTeen-agersCompetitionChampionshipYouTube

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