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The Philosophy of Tetris

"I am the man who arranges the blocks, that continue to fall from up above..."

I believe most of you of you know what Tetris is. Most of you are likely to have played it, or at least heard about it. Be it the charming 8-bit music, the satisfying beep after a line is completed, or just the blocks that fall into place one by one, filling the gaps, I"m sure that we all can agree upon the fact that Tetris is one of the best classic game we have ever played.

While I was revisiting the game, trying to break another player's high score, I realize that, even in a simple game such as Tetris, which has the main goal of trying to get the best score you can through stacking blocks and aligning them, I can't help but think of the true meaning of Tetris.

So today, let's explore the philosophy behind the Tetris. Keep in mind, that this is my opinion. Feel free to judge... constructively.

First concept
You don't have to be perfect to fit in

Before we jump into the topic, let me ask you a question:

What is your favourite block in Tetris?

Is it the long, straight four? Or is it the square?

Now think about the block you hate the most.

For me, it's the square.

"Wait... Are you playing the same game as us? The square is one of the most useful block!"

Well, I'm sure that some of you would say that.To me, though, none of the blocks are perfect. Each of them have their own quirks. The square might perfectly fit a four square gap, but it's not flexible enough to do anything else. The long, straight block might be your best friend when you want to complete a series of lines, but it too can disrupt future block placements.

In the game of Tetris, it's pretty clear that no block is perfect. And to me, that's why I think the game is fun. It would get repetitive if you see the square, or the long block over and over again. It gives variation to the game, making each playthrough different, requiring different strategy and tactic. That's why to me, in a gaming standpoint, Tetris is a stratagem, a diamond in the rough, behind a simplistic style and mechanics, hides such an intricate design and philosophical idea. 

We often get the idea that we have to be 100% perfect if we wanted to fit in, be it in school, society or a social group. It's a common trope seen n drama series or movies where the protagonist either gets along or gets abandoned depending on how "perfect" they are.

But, the truth is, "perfect" is just a figment of our imagination. To my mind, true perfection doesn't exist. Everything has their own flaws. That guy or girl you have a crush on? Yep, they have flaws too. That band, that movie, or t hat cartoon series that you thoroughly enjoy? Those have flaws. There's no absolute perfection in the world.

Perfection is just a term we give something we think they are awesome and or great, where we are willing to ignore the negativities or someone purely because the good part of them absolutely outweighs the adverse parts. 

Just like the blocks of Tetris, I guess we can call ourselves the gears of society, where no one of us is useless. Everyone has a part of play in this giant game of Tetris. And through that, only can we form a perfect line, and keep the game going, with each line marking the advancement of human civilization.

There's still much to talk about Tetris and its wonderful design. But as I said in my previous blog, saturation kills. So why don't you pay a visit to Tetris and have a few rounds? Let the nostalgia flow through you. I'm sure it will be fun.

Happy weekend, everyone.

Cheers,
Chua.

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