Why Are We So Captivated by Square Blocks?
What Famicom’s “Tetris” can teach us about “Flow State” and the “Unpredictability of Life”
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1. It’s Not Just About Falling Blocks — the Heat of the TV and the Red-and-White Casing of the Famicom Console
In 1988, the release of Tetris on the Famicom revolutionized the Japanese home console video game market.
That twin-colored, red-and-white console casing (HVC-001).
Inserting the cartridge and sliding up the power switch.
If a glitch appears on the screen, just pull out the cartridge and blow into it.
Even now, that whole sequence of “rituals” has become a beloved memory.
What is projected on the TV screen is not a simple black-and-white monochrome like the Game Boy version.
The “Tetriminos” (the official name for Tetris blocks), with their vivid colors, are shining and standing out against the black background.
The soundtrack flowing from the speaker is an arrangement of an old Russian folk song, drifting with melancholy.
An irresistible charm lurks in that simple screen–causing not only children but even adults of that time to be glued in front of the living room TV.
2. The Inner-Workings of “Flow State” and the Brain That Rejoices — The Strange Comfort of Colors and Concentration
Why is it that we become so immersed in Tetris that we completely forget about time? The answer lies in a concept found in psychology: the “Flow State” (or being “In the Zone.”)
The “Flow State” is a state of intense concentration that occurs when one’s own skills are perfectly balanced with the difficulty level of one’s challenges.
Famicom’s Tetris achieves this balance by exquisitely accelerating the blocks’ drop-speed in lockstep with the player’s performance.
This process—which starts with simple tasks and gradually increases the demands of mental processing to the absolute limit—keeps providing the brain with a pleasant tension and sense of accomplishment (i.e., dopamine) at the same time.
The moment of catharsis arrives exactly when the colorful blocks click into place and the lines disappear. That–along with the light emission of the CRT TV–creates a reward signal that the brain rejoices in the most.
3. What Tetris Can Teach Us About Handling the “Unpredictability of Life” — the Struggle of the Controller and the Reality of Life’s Trenches
Occasionally, Tetris transcends being a simple puzzle game and functions as a metaphor for life.
In our daily lives, we constantly face events outside of our control.
For example, when working the night shift in the trenches of a manufacturing factory, unexpected and irregular trouble can rain down mercilessly–despite making the perfect preparations.
“Just one more row, and I’ll lock in a Tetris clear of 4 lines...! Come on, I’m waiting for you, I-shaped Tetrimino!”
Clutching the square controller, you make full use of the A and B buttons to rotate the blocks. However, what falls down is the troublesome Z-piece.
“You’ve got to be kidding me...! Why now?!”
At that exact moment, even the most perfectly orchestrated arrangements can collapse under pressure, and your “recoverability”—how to keep mistakes to an absolute minimum and how to bridge it to the next move—is put to the test.
Even if you lament, time does not stop. The blocks keep falling down.
In Tetris, complaining that “the block I want isn’t coming” does not improve the situation.
What is important is strategic thinking: how to cover up mistakes and bridge it to the next play–in real time–by using the cards (or blocks) in hand.
The ability to accept an involuntary, undesired situation.
The use of quick wit.
Deriving the optimal solution.
We overcome the difficulties we face in society through an accumulation of these split-second judgments.
4. The Positioning of Tetris in the Modern Era — From the Living Room to the Pinnacle of E-Sports
The Famicom version of Tetris has always fit the framework as a “staple” in home console video games.
However, in the modern era, it has significantly changed its positioning.
Particularly, Tetris on the North American NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) has been adopted as a competitive category for the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC). This is the absolute pinnacle of e-sports for retro games today.
On the exact same, simple screen that children used to play on, today’s top players showcase superhuman, out-of-this-world, god-tier skills and clash with massive firepower (such as “T-Spins,” which is competitive Tetris slang for sending garbage lines to an opponent).
Today, that enthusiasm and frenzy has evolved to a whole new dimension, where humans learn optimal solutions derived from AI.
The game that started in front of a living room TV has been elevated into a sport that drives the entire world wild.
5. Conclusion: What Lies Beyond the Accumulation — Never Forget the Light of the Living Room
The blocks inside the screen disappear without a trace once you line them up.
However, the experience gained from continuously responding to unexpected situations within a state of intense concentration, definitely accumulates within the player’s mind.
That is the reason why we still enter the “Flow State” in front of a screen that keeps dropping blocks.
Somewhere along the process of clearing those unpredictable challenges that rain upon us, a small but certain sense of “personal growth” and “catharsis” can be felt.
The nostalgic light emanating from the living room CRT TV still continues to illuminate our hearts with the courage to face this unpredictable game called “Life.”
Regarding the Mercari listing introduced here, it stands as an almost Complete-in-Box (CIB) set containing everything from the original purchase to this day. It is a magical red box that keeps the enthusiasm of that era locked inside...
Written by Koyama | Translated by Jacob
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