An American teenager has become the first person to complete the video game Tetris – albeit in a modified version – and return to the beginning. The 16-year-old, active under the pseudonym ‘dogplayingtetris’, took around 82 minutes in a livestream to surpass level 255 in the classic NES version. The level then returned to level 0.
There was, however, one difference from many previous record attempts: The teenager was playing with a modified version that avoids the blocks that make Tetris an infamous game at higher levels. Earlier this year, a 13-year-old player reached level 157 in the authentic version, after which the game crashed. This was considered a record at the time.
Nintendo Entertainment System
Tetris was released in the 1980s for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). For decades, it was almost impossible to get past level 29, because the blocks fall so quickly that simple button movements are no longer enough. In recent years, however, gamers have developed techniques with names like ‘hypertapping’ and ‘rolling’, which involve pressing buttons on the controller extremely fast or literally rolling your fingers over the buttons.
Although players were able to get past level 29 this way, even bigger latent problems manifested themselves later. This is why at levels above 138, blocks sometimes take on unusual colors, making them difficult to recognize. And from level 155, the risk of the game crashing when completed lines disappear increases.
This put an end to previous record attempts, such as that of ‘BlueScuti’ (13 years old) who, as aforementioned, crashed Tetris in January at level 157. ‘Dogplayingtetris’ (16 years old) has meanwhile adjusted the code of Tetris so as not to have to worry about these blockages. However, the game still throws challenges at it: at level 235 for example, you have to complete 810 lines to go further. The dark green blocks are also harder to see than in other levels.
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