A 13-year-old prodigy made history by being the first person to beat the 1988 Tetris video game for Nintendo during a live stream, reaching level 157 in just 38 minutes.
Willis Gibson, from Oklahoma, USA, was reportedly live streaming while playing last month when he achieved a “True Killerscreen” in less than 40 minutes.
The results ended with the game’s blocks falling at a fast pace that forced the game to crash, an achievement only ever accomplished previously by artificial intelligence.
A 13-year-old prodigy made history by being the first person to beat the 1988 Tetris video game
Image credits: aGameScout
Image credits: Blue Scuti
Gamers have reportedly long believed level 30 was the screen killer after Thor Aackerlund performed a “hypertapping” method in 2010, which saw him vibrating his fingers on the controller to move faster in the game, as per the Daily Mail.
Nevertheless, Willis, whose gaming name is Blue Scuti, broke the record, reportedly reaching level 157 before seeing the game implode on screen.
Willis Gibson was reportedly live streaming while playing last month when he achieved a “True Killerscreen”
Image credits: aGameScout
Image credits: aGameScout
As he was playing Tetris during a live stream on his YouTube channel, the young gamer stacked the blocks on top of each other as they continued to pick up speed as they fell.
“Oh, I missed it,” Willis said after misplacing a block, but that fear of defeat quickly changed when he recovered from the mishap. He then said, “Oh my God” as he observed the blocks falling into place, the British tabloid reported.
Willis continued by scoring another line, and the game froze. “Oh my God! Yes! I'm going to pass out,” he said upon realizing he had crashed the game. “I can't feel my hands,” he exclaimed.
The teen boy has been playing Tetris since he was 11, reportedly practicing three to five hours daily
Image credits: aGameScout
The teen boy has been playing Tetris since he was 11, reportedly practicing three to five hours daily. He has gone on to compete several times in gaming tournaments, with one in October, where he placed third.
Willis told the Stillwater News Press: “I came into the tournament hoping to get top 16, and I overshot it. I was mainly excited to play against some of the players I knew from online.”
In another interview with streamer ITZsharky1, Willis revealed he had come close to crashing the game in previous plays but could never get there.
You can watch Willis' live stream below:
Dedicating his successful game to his dad, Adam Gibson, who died in December, Willis said: “My biggest struggle was when the nerves started kicking in after 30 minutes of play.”
Tetris is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer.
In Tetris, players complete lines by moving differently shaped pieces called tetrominoes, which descend onto the playing field.
The completed lines disappear and grant the player points, and the player can proceed to fill the vacated spaces.
The game ends when the uncleared lines reach the top of the playing field. The longer the player can delay this outcome, the higher their score will be.
Willis' incredible achievement inspired people to get back into the retro videogame
