Beyond Dropping Blocks: Inside the Wild World of Pro Tetris

pcmag.com:

“Easy to learn but hard to master” is a phrase that’s bandied about often when it comes to games. But there’s some truth in it. The gap between being able to have fun with a game and rising to the top of the competitive heap is massive. Think about the difference between playing ping-pong with friends at summer camp and the terrifying lightning-quick volleys of pro players.

One of the most intense examples of this is Tetris, the falling block puzzle game invented by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. You probably know that Tetris is one of the most successful games of all time, selling hundreds of millions of copies. But what you might not know is that there’s also an international competitive scene for the game, featuring players who have developed complex strategies and techniques that demonstrate an almost superhuman understanding of the game.

While gaming as a spectator sport is pretty normal now, back in 1990 it was a true novelty. That's when Nintendo hosted the initial Nintendo World Championships, bringing players from 30 cities together in Los Angeles to face off in Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer, and Tetris. One of the winners of that competition, 13-year-old Thor Aackerlund, decimated the Tetris competition by becoming the first person in the world to ever reach level 30 in the NES version. He took home the prize, signed an endorsement deal with game company Camerica, and then disappeared.

Since then, competitive Tetris has grown in popularity and seriousness; 2010 saw the launch of the Classic Tetris World Championship, an annual event where devotees from around the world battle on the NES version of the game. Other events use other versions, including the popular Puyo Puyo Tetris in Japan and the