13-Year-Old Who Must Be Immune To Frustration Becomes First Player To Get To The End Of Tetris

One of my favorite movies ever is the classic 2007 documentary The King of Kong. It follows two Donkey Kong players —family man Steve Wiebe and Video Game Player of the Century, Billy Mitchell — on their quest for retro arcade gaming glory. I thought today's kids were too busy playing Fortnite to dunk a toe into the retro arcade waters, but then here comes a 13-year-old Tetris phenom out of Oklahoma.

Last month, Stillwater's own Willis Gibson became the first person to get so far into the original Nintendo version of everyone's favorite Soviet-era video game that it completely froze. That's called a "kill screen" in the world of video games.

Can you imagine how long you have to play Tetris for it to give up before you?

Well, our guy Williis did it, and it took him about 40 minutes.

The moment he accomplished what no one has done in the decades-long history of what was everyone's favorite game to play on a Nokia cellphone is electrifying.

“Oh my god,” Willis said over and over after accomplishing the feat (The New York Times felt the need to do him dirty by adding it was in a "high pitch"). “I can’t feel my fingers.”

I believe it. That young man is going to have the arthritic joints of a nursing home resident if he's not careful. The kid plays hard. That just comes with the territory when you play some of these at the highest levels.

A man plays a mobile game of Tetris. A great innovation that allows you to get frustrated with Tetris on the go. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Gibson's "Kill Screen" Feat Was Thought To Be Impossible

I loved that video. His excitement is contagious.

Why, I don't think I've seen anyone that excited over a kill screen since Billy Mitchell protegé Brian Kuh tried to get the crowd's attention at the retro arcade Mecca that is New Hampshire's Funspot in The King of Kong.

Seriously, if you've never seen that movie you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's so good.

Here's the thing, that wasn't just a good game of Tetris. A lot of us have had decent games of Tetris while in the doctor's waiting room or on the toilet.

No, this feat wasn't believed to be possible until Willis showed the world that it is.

“It’s never been done by a human before,” president of the Classic Tetris World Championship Vince Clemente said. “It’s basically something that everyone thought was impossible until a couple of years ago.”

Gibson has been grinding away at Tetris since 2021. Believe it or not, he came across the game by watching YouTube videos of people playing it. He told The New York Times that he'll spend around 20 hours a week playing the game.

Billy Mitchell was the greatest video game player of the 20th Century, but I think Gibson might already be in the conversation for this century.

Congratulations!

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle