Why Are Humans Suddenly Getting Better at Tetris?

In which John examines what's driving the improvement in scores among high-level players of the 1989 Nintendo Entertainment System's version of Tetris. (And also what we might learn from the Tetris community.)
You can now join Life's Library, our new book club: store.dftba.com/collections/l...
If you want to learn more about Tetris (AND YOU DO), enjoy the incredible drama of the Classic Tetris World Championships: / classictetris
Tetris players featured in this video include:
The seven-time champion Jonas Neubauer: / jonasteh81
New world champion Joseph, whose video of getting to Level 31 is one of the single most beautiful things I have ever seen on KZbin: • NES TETRIS - First Eve...
Hypertapper extraordinaire Koryan, seen here playing Jonas: • TETRIS SHOWDOWN IN HON...
As you might be able to tell, I am a huge Tetris fan. It is the most perfect video game ever made don't @ me.
----
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Help transcribe videos - nerdfighteria.info
John's twitter - / johngreen
John's tumblr - / fishingboatproceeds
Hank's twitter - / hankgreen
Hank's tumblr - / edwardspoonhands

[@hydrole4699]

It all happened when four words were uttered... "Boom, Tetris for Jeff."

[@ClassicTetris]

Thanks for the shoutout John, come on out to our events they're much more fun in person! 👍🏻

[@froz_studies]

+

[@dinocadet77]

Neck and neck!

[@grotoy123]

Boom

[@MegaFuze]

Tetris for jeff

[@balharher7365]

You guys rule

[@SarcasticDragonGaming]

Hank: This climate change graph terrifies me, I’ll see you Tuesday John. John: Hey Hank, we’re getting really good at Tetris.

[@pinkysaurusrawr]

+

[@mestiarcanus]

Yeah, when did JOHN become the optimistic/positive one in this dynamic?

[@JoelRipke]

Just carrying on his good news duty from Dear Hank and John

[@annakilifa331]

SarcasticDragon Gaming ...now I'd like to see a summary of all Vlogbrothers videos in form of a written conversation where every video is summarized in about one sentence. It would be great. Like the original comment, but for every video. It would be a bit like blurbing Vlogbrothers videos. Please, someone get on that!

[@chloecorning8504]

+

[@aSongScout]

I attended the Tetris World Championships this year and it was one of the best weekends I've ever had. Everyone in the community is indeed incredibly friendly and supportive to each other. So awesome to see it get noticed by a lot of mainstream news sources this year!

[@user-mv1yq2ko3p]

aSongScout, good luck in future competitions!

[@billmillersdick]

This group is all about "fitting in"

[@jayi31]

whoa surprised to see you here

[@jayjaychen8325]

@@billmillersdick Awesome quote ^^

[@MaxMarriner]

John Green talking about Tetris is one of those things you never knew you needed until it happens.

[@Lanai50]

🙌

[@ilknure.6261]

Ikr! This felt like I kinda needed these words. Weird

[@DwarfInBlues]

Indeed!

[@MyAce8]

when I log off the hard drop forums and then this pops out of nowhere. Two of my internet communities in one place? and marvel said infinity war was the most ambitious cross over smh

[@landonkryger]

You should listen to his podcast, The Anthropocene Reviewed. It's all about him talking about things you never knew you wanted.

[@maryw459]

"I don't labor under the delusion that I can make THE internet better, but I do want to make MY internet better." Words for all to live by.

[@lunacouer]

THIS. I need these regular reminders of the goodness, community and kindness around the internet. Whenever I see the cesspools, I get nostalgic for the early internet, a time when trolling was actually shocking, when lol, rofl, lmao and emoticons got developed because we *needed* people to hear our true intent, to not sound as cold as text can sound. We were still in the place of knowing it was a person on the other end, a stranger we felt empathy for and felt empathy for us (well, except the trolls), a place where we actively worked to keep spaces safe and fun. Our skins were blessedly thinner then. It can feel like the trolls won, because that meanness is everywhere now. It's the new normal. I once asked a Twitter thread why people don't report people more for bullying, instead of responding, and the consensus was "I didn't think of it". And I get sad about that, that meanness is so accepted. It's not edgy anymore - it's just viciousness on a grand scale. So thank you John, for tirelessly reminding us of the beauty and fun and kindness that's still there, everywhere, but especially in MY internet.

[@94blackbelt]

I love the sentiment, and I may be tilting at windmills here, but is it really laboring under a delusion to try to make THE internet better? Surely making our personal internet better is easier and more realistic, but THE internet is made of OUR internets. Me making MY internet better may technically improve THE internet, but by so small an amount as to be negligible. But if others who share parts of my internet see the improvement and try to improve theirs, as I'm sure Hank and John have inspired many, many people, and people with overlapping parts of those internets then follow suit... I don't mean to argue against John, I adore the pragmatic optimism in it and it's absolutely a noble and worthwhile goal. But I think the sentiment may be underestimating the power of influence, especially with large content creators like Vlogbrothers.

[@flameshana9]

The irony of calling that the delusion. "I won't change the world, I'll just change myself." Oh you poor, poor child. The reason the world doesn't change is because you think your _own_ world matters. We don't work together _because_ we think we are special and relevant. As soon as you think you matter you become one that is actively creating the problem or being lazy enough to allow it to continue. Racism? Gay rights? Starvation? Nah, I'll just be a nice person. That's enough "for me." Who cares what happens to anyone else. Yeah, now you try being one of those people and saying that by "being a good person" I'll stop being abused and gain the rights and freedoms I deserve. I probably won't die at the age of 4. You're incredibly spoiled to think this way; because your life is easy while others are dying from easily curable diseases. All while you "stay positive" and add more numbers to your subscriber count. You really sound like children. Especially if you get all offended when you're called out on your short-sightedness.

[@lunacouer]

@@flameshana9 I agree with what you said, about how we need to think communally and fight for those who are getting screwed over. At the same time, this isn't what this is about. This is about finding the good in the unfathomably gargantuan internet. I'm not sure if you're talking to @94blackbelt or John, but since they're both talking about the internet, I'm going to take it from the perspective of John and this video. If you listen to Hank's podcast "Delete This", and Hank and John's podcast, "Hank and John", there's a bigger context here, when they're talking about the internet. It's easy to drown in all the hate, and as famous people, they get it more than your average person. Yet, because they make their living off the internet, they can't just disconnect. And it's not the rational criticism I'm talking about - it's hate for the sake of hating. When you see that all day, everyday, it's easy to think there's just no good out there. It completely skews your perspective. So, John has made concerted efforts in these videos to find the good on the internet. And like I said, up above, this in turn helps me remember all the good on the internet. It's now, more than ever, easier to rally and fight for equality *because* of the internet. People are becoming more educated about social issues *because* of the internet, and are doing things about them. There are kind people out there. It's not all a cesspool. If you watch other vlogbrothers videos, you'll find that they both absolutely recognize their privileges, and actively work to fight injustice, racism, bigotry and poverty. They have hundreds of videos where they discuss social issues and what people can do about them. This, in turn, encourages the people that follow them to do something, too. I recommend watching John's video of what he did for Hank's birthday.

[@yoshka1038]

"Making lvl 30 almost impossible" Joseph Saelee: I'm about to end this man's whole carreer

[@angelerror4086]

almost so no for you for using the wrong word

[@zikademais210]

Dog: hold my toddy

[@charliekohl7358]

Rest in peace, Jonas. What a legend.

[@pinkysaurusrawr]

John getting passionate about niche internet cultures he’s not a part of but still cares about is a 2018 MOOD and I love these types of vlogbrothers videos. You make MY internet better John!

[@AmyBHaddock]

+

[@Satisfyedeyes]

+

[@thexsoar]

20 years in and I'm still waiting for my straight block

[@leoshevkun3645]

Best. Comment. Ever

[@ieatnapkins9225]

H.a.

[@paulmag91]

LINE. PIECE.

[@eggomyweggo6576]

It just be like that sometimes

[@brunonogues5128]

And now Joseph has reached lvl 32, 33, 34 and 35. This is a legend

[@SarahLongfield]

I’m really happy I stumbled upon this video, as a content creator and musician, I feel pretty negatively towards the internet (despite the opportunities it’s presented me) but I’ve never considered stepping back and trying to limit and redesign “my internet” rather than consistently dwell on the darkness of the internet as a whole. Thanks for the insight and the interesting Tetris story!

[@jennamedlyn]

I have been meaning to say this for a while now. A few weeks ago my younger brother had to read a YA book for his English class and since I had read turtles all the way down last year he picked up my copy and read it. When he got done reading it he asked me if that was what my life was like with an anxiety disorder. I told him yes and his response was "you need more hugs." And he hugged me and has many times when I have mentioned not feeling well. Thank you for using your talents to help my teenage brother feel more empathy. That is pretty amazing!

[@vlogbrothers]

oh wow that made my day! Thanks to you both! -John

[@krank23]

This comment was exactly what I needed right now. Thank you for sharing. You made my internet a little bit better

[@shookings]

What a way to see "My Internet" in action. I'm grateful to you both for sharing with us.

[@rachelelizabeth6017]

Jenna Medlyn This makes me SOO happy! 💛💛💛

[@drwindsurf]

Wow! Thank you for sharing your story :)

[@Skip6235]

I think that there is a parallel in the musical world. I am a hobby cellist. I've been playing since I was very young, but never very seriously. Professional orchestra musicians practice 8 hours a day (it's their job), I'm lucky if I manage 4 hours a week. Yet, over time the level of expertise of each individual grows together as the total expertise grows. Because my teacher is really good, she can pass on techniques that her teacher gave her to me and so on. I'm currently playing a concerto that when it was written 150 years ago was deemed unplayable by the cellist it was written for. I'm not great at it, but I can do it. It's pretty amazing. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

[@Skip6235]

Just do what we all do and say "I was practicing and I noticed I was really have trouble with *insert any passage here*". Then she will think that the reason you're playing so awful is because of some sort of hang-up, instead of the fact that you didn't practice. ;)

[@hanabarrett6046]

This reminds me of something that amazes me about science. The fact that I, as a first year college student, get to learn things that once upon a time nobody knew. Often someone, or a group of people, in the past spent their whole lives figuring out this one thing so we could build up this massive tower of knowledge. And we get the chance to add to the knowledge and pass it on to the people who come after us. We know so much about the world and its really amazing.

[@luciabee]

That is so cool! I feel like your comment really crystalized the idea behind the video for me, thank you for sharing.

[@dragonsandwaffles258]

+ I don''t play cello, but I do play violin and this is me at a LOT of my lessons.

[@matthewbornhorst5655]

I think one example that really parallels this in the musical world is Paganini’s 24 Caprices. At the time they were written by Paganini, he was the only violinist in the world who could play them fully, but today being able to play them is almost a necessity in a classical violinist’s repertoire.

[@LonSeidman]

Same can be said of Super Mario Bros. and speed runs.

[@samscarbrough4376]

A similar phenomenon has happened in the yo-yo community. Since the yo-yo boom in the 90s, yo-yoing has changed dramatically and now things that were previously thought impossible are fairly easy. Online communities are thriving and people are figuring out new techniques every day. Competitions have also been hugely instrumental in the development of the sport.

[@Valkail_]

Sam Scarbrough ik I find man on the flying trapeze hard and people are here doing stuff I can’t even explain

[@amyrozz3]

Thanks to John's twitter, I watched my first Tetris championship. It was the most stressful, and the most wonderful thing I've ever seen. Joseph is my hero.

[@amyrozz3]

dbptwg Hyperbole, yes!

[@NotHPotter]

My Tetris mastery is mostly limited to fitting bags and luggage into the trunks of vehicles. Limited scope, but clutch when you need it.

[@vlogbrothers]

Arguably more useful than actually being good at Tetris. -John

[@NotHPotter]

@@vlogbrothers I dunno, I've never seen anyone Livestream packing up for a road trip. 😆

[@Nadia1989]

Or bag preparing!

[@FloydBunsen]

It's extremely useful for working in a warehouse

[@wobblysauce]

Same Practical Tetris is my jam.

[@MattRoszak]

Man, I really miss "the" internet. when everyone who went online saw the same things, and there were no algorithms trying to guess exactly what you wanted to see. Remember chronological comments? Remember having lots of thriving websites instead of just a few huge corporations?

[@yenja209]

Matt Roszak I really wish there were “the internet” and “my internet” modes.

[@MsSomeonenew]

Ya that was back when you could see everything the internet had on offer in 12 minutes or so, and most of that was loading time.

[@ChaosRayZero]

You know the "chronological comments" thing could easily be fixed here on KZbin if they just added a "sort by oldest first" button. Granted, all the _truly_ oldest comments have been deleted. Anything that was posted before the whole "you need to create and link a Google+ account to do anything on this site anymore" change are gone for good, but _they really ought to make it_ so you're at least able to look through everything _that's still there_ in order.

[@ChaosRayZero]

Very true, kidmosey. Sadly, _very true..._ -_- But that's the beauty of having it be totally optional! People who don't want to sift through 100 comments of, "I've never been this early before, what do I say?" can set it to "newest first" or "top comments" instead! ^~^

[@ikagura]

@@ChaosRayZero RIP classic KZbin

[@thejesuschrist]

now, if only a niche group of mortals could get together to find a way for the rest of the mortals to stop being jerks to each other. high score for being a good human to other humans. who would be champion?

[@DatBoi-mo9vc]

No one

[@lukezacharias3245]

Earth...

[@speedwagonoverheaven9716]

Oh hi Jesus

[@DatBoi-mo9vc]

How is your sexlife?

[@Emma-fs7sz]

Oh hey jesus I loved when you were on Shane's videos. Didnt know I'd see ya here.

[@joaquinpavon682]

BOOM TETRIS FOR JONAS

[@MyMike1119]

Joaquin Pavon can’t wait for the video

[@spofet]

Neck and neck

[@MyMike1119]

Sanitago Poveda this is beyond neck and neck this is eyelash and eyelash

[@brainsfordinner7196]

Boom! Tetris for... Joseph?

[@jiachengdong6093]

Boom! Teris for Jeff!

[@Inucat]

I love playing tetris and I frequently go through phases of constantly playing (I play an online flash version) but I have found that it affects my sleep and I play tetris in my head while trying to fall asleep...

[@vlogbrothers]

This is called the Tetris Effect, and it has been used by researchers to study whether dreaming about an activity helps us excel at that activity! (It does.) -John

[@txsunnygirl]

@@vlogbrothers amazing! I love dream science! Makes me feel good about the nights I spent writing college essays in my sleep.

[@vathek5958]

I find this kind of thing happens with any game I accidentally play too much - often in the morning my groggy, half-asleep brain tries to process the world through the mechanics of a game. For example, I played a few hours of kerbal space program before bed last saturday, and in the morning my brain tried to process my girlfriend and I as two spaceships next to one another in orbit of some unknown body in the cosmos. I became very confused when she started moving and I couldn't work out her delta-v stats.

[@rachelelizabeth6017]

Inucat woooooah...

[@skillzorz101]

This happened to me with a few games, but the worst Tetris Effect I got was from Pokemon Red/Blue on Gameboy. I would often hallucinate the repetitive music.

[@ErrolBeats]

Boom! Tetris for Jeff!

[@pwilll]

Boom! Tetris for Jonas!

[@ghenzua]

Boom! Tetris for Joseph!

[@ahmadalkhateeb1180]

I don't know if she's his mother or his sister. She's asian I can't tell

[@minfei.]

Neck on neck

[@thesparxeffect9734]

*Cheez, Dog, Jonas, Joseph Saelee, Koryan, Sharky, and Trey has entered the chat*

[@JayKBishop]

Thor aukerland (okkerland? Akkerland? Okkerlan?) is an awesome name.

[@vlogbrothers]

Aackerlund! And indeed, awesome name. -John

[@JayKBishop]

vlogbrothers the double ‘a’ and a ‘u’ in ‘Lund’ tricky name, but all the more awesome for it.

[@blacksawesome]

this comment just made my day: you tried 4 times, and you failed but that just made it better

[@darktwistedlady]

This is a Scandinavian name typical of Sweden (but with surprise twist), from when people were forced to use a hereditary family name (before that you were "first name" + "son/daughter", like Svenson or Svensdotter). Aacker/åker means field, lund means clearing in forest. So the family most likely lived on a small farm in the woods, and probably were indigenous Saami/Sámi people, not Swedish.

[@Thor.Jorgensen]

@@darktwistedlady Typical of just Sweden? Sounds like we've got a Swede/Swedefan in our midst. Warm greetings from a non-Swede.

[@Aabil11]

John you should start streaming Tetris as a pacifist

[@zoepopescu2704]

Amizan Jaleel +

[@aSongScout]

I want to see John Green try a few games of NES Tetris so badly now.

[@rethinkOURreality]

he would stress out and die though lol

[@aSongScout]

I mean, that's what happens when he plays fortnite as a pacifist lol

[@annaaldridge7037]

+

[@NintendoCapriSun]

Seems like the same kind of thing has happened with Zelda: A Link To The Past. I used to speed run the game as a kid, but since there was no internet, I had no way of knowing if my time of 2 hours 12 minutes (100%) was really any good. Even after the internet came along, we still didn't really have video sharing, much less gaming videos, much less streaming for quite a while. So eventually, sure, I found out that my time wasn't all that great, but at the time (I guess 5 years ago?) I was able to improve my own time to somewhere around 1:40 (except that was any%). I would have kept with it, but at that point it seemed like everybody was doing it and I kinda burned myself out on the game. Now, just in the last five years it seems like they've optimized so much, but I guess the emergence of randomizers has a lot to do with that as well. Oh shoot, gotta go record. Bye!

[@coastercraziness]

This was uploaded before the surge of players (and more hyper tappers and now rolling)

[@AtomicDrake28]

I watched this year's tetris championship, and it was AMAZING.

[@vlogbrothers]

Incredible drama. I could hardly breathe. -John

[@EastyyBlogspot]

I cannot wait for the Tetris movie....i am sure it will be a blockbuster

[@seanbads]

Eastyy but how will it stack up against Pixel?

[@mariewikiwaka3851]

Booooooooooooo! ; )

[@petermarsh4578]

Bwahahahaha

[@BalooSJ]

I don't see how it can compete with the Complete History of the Soviet Union, arranged to the Melody of Tetris.

[@jaydesummers]

You’re fired. ;)

[@AstroLizard]

Wonderful video! I shouldn't be surprised at this point. Most of what you and Hank do is extremely good! And yet you both continue to surprise me.

[@Devster41]

Thank you for doing this video John! I started playing Tetris a year ago and it’s awesome that you’re helping to bring more attention to the game!

[@prabhavsthapit653]

John refueling my tetris addiction

[@MisterYagibe]

Probably they started discussing on the Som

[@vlogbrothers]

That was the other thing I was thinking about when writing this! :) -John

[@ToriKo_]

MisterYagibe hahahahaha

[@MarkThePage]

YES! This video was 100% The Dream vibes.

[@AbsurdAsparagus]

what is the som?

[@quilynn]

@@AbsurdAsparagus It's a reference to Hank's book :)

[@tANGERINEchan]

Yesssss I was so excited about this years Classic Tetris World Championships and Joseph and seeing John make a video on it has made me want to rewatch the stream of the Grand Finals!

[@cribbles3476]

3:38 I thought you were going to throw a sponsorship at us.

[@kodax1292]

Haha

[@MirorR3fl3ction]

So in software terms, while the Internet as a technology may be scalable, the Social Internet it seems is not.

[@vlogbrothers]

I think that may prove to be correct. -John

[@MirorR3fl3ction]

Holy crap hi John!! :D

[@luciabee]

@@vlogbrothers It makes sense that you sign your comments with your name but it still always reminds me of, like, a grandma who doesn't fully understand texting. It's kinda fun and endearing though, I like it

[@SwichKnight]

Reminds me of that Reddit chat room experiment. After the chats grew to a certain size, conversation got drowned out by the noise.

[@miku4977]

+

[@JamesScantlebury]

"smaller communities can be more tightly knit" 👀 www.tuataria.com It's a cool place where nerdfighters hang out with other wonderful nerds!

[@AllisonDeVoe]

AND PLAY VIDEO GAMES! We apparently need to start our own tetris tournament.

[@jennahj_]

+++ (yes i would LOVE to play tetris with you nerds)

[@hagaikiri3682]

Yesss tetris channel

[@froz_studies]

+ oh hey frens

[@austinjacob8026]

Very informative this week thanks John!

[@chasegeyer3825]

It was fun seeing you on the Classic Tetris Livestreams and hearing your passion for it.

[@carolines7215]

It’s so interesting to come back and watch this after watching aGameScout’s video about Scuti’s accomplishment. The community has come so far!

[@hayabusa8314]

I was a participant in this year's CTWC. Was a casual player for 20+years, competitive for 3 years now. My improvement came from hours of practice nearly everyday, constantly watch others play whether it was beginners or experts while they streamed, studying playing methods from previous CTWC events and having a highly supportive community of Tetris players who want to see everyone improve their game. My 2 years ago in attempting to qualify my highest game was maybe a 550K. Going into this year's event my highest is currently a 995K. To me there's a lot that goes into getting better with this game. TONS of trial and error, learning to be more than 2 steps/blocks ahead, stacking methods that work best for you, looking back on your games seeing what were good moves or where things could have been better placed, and more. Converse with the community, learn from each other.

[@brodindamp]

Paul 'Mega RetroMan' Tesi It was great to watch your play on livestream! I can confirm that watching professionals such as jonas has helped my own play considerably

[@hayabusa8314]

Thank you Allen. I felt this year went much better than last year even with the bevy of heavy hitters. It's going to come to the point in the future where those who qualify are players who have maxed the score or have come severely close to it. I still have lots of room to grow. Hope your gameplay improves and a maxout is in your near future.

[@ChicagoDude]

You knocked out Jonas this year! You fire dude!

[@rileythewizard]

whenever you tweet about something a lot I get excited for the possible video on the way related to the topic. So I was really happily anticipating this one, and it lived up to every and any expectation.

[@ArtChongExtra]

I love this video so much. This kind of stuff is why I've been watching vlogbrothers for years. The extrapolative philosophizing from seemingly simple things is incredibly interesting and opens up whole new worlds of thinking to me. Thank you. Please never stop. The world is a better place with you in it.

[@KatrinaEames]

I work at an arcade and it was so fun to stream the Tetris world championships at work - everyone was so impressed!

[@undeniablySomeGuy]

(now level 33 is the highest achieved)

[@hsuhorn]

Miguel! I Draw! By my boy Joseph Saelee

[@balbar_b]

34 now

[@psychotheunsane7285]

@@balbar_b within a month of my post here, Joseph will reach level 35. He's gotten within 3 lines of it now.

[@balbar_b]

@@psychotheunsane7285 yeah i know

[@moneymikz]

Joseph hit 35 yesterday

[@SFinerFACE]

Great video, John! Wonderful thoughts on small communitues.

[@OrenMilman]

Extremely inspiring. Thank you John :)

[@sudipabhattacharya13]

I've never been this early!! Love from India 💛 - A Dedicated Nerdfighter🤓

[@varunpathak7210]

Me too!!

[@GubekochiGoury]

So you... fight nerds? Like firefighters or crimefighters... but with nerds?

[@AllieYourAlly]

Goury Gubekochi I know you’re joking, but no! it’s more like freedom fighters, we fight *for* nerds! :)

[@saumitjin5526]

Another Indian here!

[@DirectorTaffy]

I too, attack nerds

[@Cremo200]

Hey John, if you find Tetris interesting you might be fascinated by the speedrunning community. It’s similar in its goal to maximize efficiency in games, but with the goal of finishing them as fast as possible. Just a suggestion since you find cooperative internet communities a positive thing.

[@LadyJuse]

Agreed. Speedrunning is really cool and it is amazing that there are so many ways to speedrun

[@Sanctor95]

Such a great video, very thought provoking and encouraging :)

[@katyastr4821]

So I bought my pizza John shirt last year, and over this time, it has brought me so much joy and so many laughs, it's incredible, and i hope with all of my heart that I will be able to get another one this year. And I remember how last year I was kinda worried that it took longer then I expected to get to me and I left a comment under one of the vlogbrothers' videos about it (i rarely ever comment on videos) and a few people replied with words of support and kindness, it was so cool and unexpected, and it still warms my heart to this day. Love you guys, DFTBA

[@purpleboye_]

Because they re-labeled it as a battle royale

[@02111991Kw]

Top tier comment sir.

[@quantumhornet211]

They never relabeled it as a battle royale.

[@miletilblight2181]

If Thanos is in fortnight could we get Thor in Tetris Oh wait

[@gangger89]

Tetris 99 will die in a few years. Classic NES Tetris ftw.

[@derekmartin5340]

@@gangger89 that's how online games work. It cant last forever

[@GuanoLad]

I learned more about Tetris in this four minutes than I had in the previous 30 years.

[@MathHacker42]

Man, you guys are always so thoughtful and valuable, I don't know how you keep it up.

[@LXRS_]

How can you possibly make 3 minutes so interesting and entertaining, I’ve never been interested in Tetris at all but you made it sound so interesting and I kinda want to check it out now! John Green you are incredible!

[@slpk]

The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast, if you liked this video

[@Witchblade070502]

Because ....of the man who throws the Tetris piece - I think he is aging :)

[@rachelorr4426]

+

[@Witchblade070502]

I think my reference was missed by many ... search "The man who throws the Tetris piece" by Bill Martin aka Dr. Noise :) - 2008 People :)

[@Witchblade070502]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXWWoWiortKNpLc

[@sonicsophie]

Yesss! So glad to find a reference to this song in the comments - love Doctor Noise!

[@Witchblade070502]

Thanks - I didn't get very many likes :( - not even from the vlogbrothers - so I was quite sad! I figured not many of us have been around long enough to remember it - but U have been !!

[@hrisiiiiiiiiiiiiiii]

this was awesome. it has made me very happy. thank you

[@ab76254]

Another insightful and deeply thought-provoking video, thank you!

[@KunamaElgar]

This was basically a mini episode of The Anthropocene Reviewed and I loved it! All it was missing was the rating - my assumption is five stars.

[@thatsathingrebekah]

EllenElgar Agreed!

[@BhagyashreeGajra]

I was playing Tetris on my mobile and this pops up! p.s I was on level 20 and it was my highest score 😃

[@vlogbrothers]

Sorry/you're welcome! :) -John

[@BhagyashreeGajra]

Thanks John for the Tetris wisdom, so hyped for Pizzamas! Best Wishes. Nerdfighter from India 🙅‍♀️

[@AnisurRahman-gh7cg]

I can never get past Level 15. XD

[@1inchfemur]

I legit just started watching a bunch of the tetris tournament clips this week. It's amazing to watch.

[@vailvarone4075]

Great video. A lot of this has been on the forefront of my brain since I finished An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. I'm psyched for Life's Library. I miss English class!!

[@themaskedcrusader]

John asks the Important Questions.

[@delicioushitlist]

John: *Saying the abbreviation for Nintendo Entertainment System* knes

[@mtimes02]

ValiantWake my favorite gaming console is the Ness

[@erica2912]

What a wholesome video! Thanks, John

[@AshenElk]

Dang, such distillation of discourse, such concise video. Loved it.

[@briankenney9528]

I feel like the internet is a lot like the plane of Limbo in D&D. Most of it is formless chaos unfit for life, but pockets of stability have been carved out by small communities

[@nicocchi]

The reason why I ended up getting good at Tetris is literally the characters in Puyo Puyo Tetris, and the fact that Puyo is multiplayer-focused. Those things motivated me to get better at the game, litting up my competitive spirit as if it was a puzzle-based fighting game. Now, Puyo Puyo Tetris is stupidly unbalanced in Puyo vs Tetris, but that doesn't take away from the merit of me treating seriously what I would otherwise perceive as a time-killer, casual arcade game. In my opinion, classic Tetris simply is not as fun because it's slower paced, so my experience might not be relevant to this video, but I just wanted to make notice of the fact that there's a wide variety of ways to enjoy this game, if Nullpomino is anything to go by.

[@DreckbobBratpfanne]

It is slower in falling speed, but your inputs have to be much faster. (And also you can have droughts where the long bar or other pieces don't show up for a long time) Both versions are very interesting though in their own ways, one is totally unfair sometimes and the other has much more weird tricks.

[@ChadMojito]

Thanks John, now I'm hooked to binging on Tetris championship videos AGAIN 🤨 Boom, Tetris for Jonas 🏅

[@KFaria27]

Easily one of my top five vlogbro videos. Love it!

[@BlueBoboDoo100]

Kinda wish you had mentioned the Tetris: The Grand Master series. TGM 2 is my favorite Tetris game to watch and play. It's a different ball game, for sure

[@jimothyjimothy1]

TGM games are for crack heads

[@noahzdddd]

Rolling has entered the chat

[@MichaelSmith-iv2rp]

This is the most inspiring thing I have ever heard anyone say about the internet. I might be starting to tear up. Thank you!!

[@BrantAxt]

This is a hilarious video to see pop up in my feed especially after I saw you leave a comment on a tetris video showing that you were trapped in the same tetris binge that I was haha

[@kinleybowman7069]

It’s going to be my first pizzamas as a nerd fighter I’m so excited.

[@claytonj2695]

Why do the best tetris players have a name that starts with J

[@oneandonlyjaybee]

It's all about the J piece

[@Adrena1in]

Koryan: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@enduringbird]

I rarely admire the way you are able to take a random example of something, coherently extract the main themes, and apply them to a larger idea. You do it so well time and time again. I really admire you.

[@jordan.newsom]

What a beautiful way of looking at things!

[@sumez4369]

Q: "Why are humans suddenly getting better at Tetris?" A: Because people fail to realise that other versions of Tetris have existed since even way before the NES one, and what is happening is simply that more people are shifting focus to this version. Both competition and the skill level is still much higher in the 40L sprint and guideline VS communities, but thanks to CTWC there's been a slight shift towards NES as a competitive game that didn't exist before. Even in 1989 very few people played it competitively, and as today it was mostly seen as a casual game among the broader demographic.

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

I love these Anthropocene Reviewed-style discussions of small facets of human culture :)

[@franzgustav1555]

Feels really good to seen a video in 2018 that is not even close to 10 min.....Great Job!

[@PeterParker-gx2ys]

This is the first video of john that i wasnt forced to watch in school, and its great when he isnt taklking about school stuff. 👍

[@swagzilla3000]

Think joseph has made it to level 33

[@ArlanKels]

He has indeed. He's also trying to get good enough to start at level 29 and go 100 lines. I think the last I Saw he was at 66 lines at 29 speed.

[@Midrule]

Why it’s impossible to win Tetris 99 if you’re not a pro

[@DreckbobBratpfanne]

I wouldn't say that, it is possible. I've done it 13 times now, it is very hard and sometimes if 9 people attack you at once you have no chance, but it is possible with some training even without doing all those weird tricks like All clears and t spin towers and chains and what not. Tetris 99 Invictus is a different story, this is hardcore stuff, but i would say you could grind it even if you're not a pro.

[@sink9035]

Dreckbob Bratpfanne I disagree with the more people attacking you the worse, it gives you a great boost in kills and badges

[@DreckbobBratpfanne]

@@sink9035 it does but still if you make one mistake in such circumstances you're done.

[@sink9035]

Dreckbob Bratpfanne true

[@sarahscadden2580]

I am so excited for the book club😄😄😄

[@smileyhead]

This is the first video of yours I've ever seen, so I have no idea what that means, but I'm intrigued.

[@qfuh8199]

*BOOM Tetris for Jeff*

[@thelastcube.]

TETRIS championship was something I previously thought was something a lame person would watch (despite being into speedcubing which is already a niche thing) After watching the Jonas vs Jeff video though Me : Jeff is pretty skilled in figuring himself out of complicated situations and has a rather aggressive playstyle while Jonas has a pretty calm playstyle, he patiently clears the field and then attacks when the right block comes Which lead me to the VR TETRIS video and eventually I ended up watching the livestream of this year's tournament, what started as a BOOM TETRIS FOR JEFF slowly became something I now really enjoy watching.

[@iisuicideii9607]

Basically me too HAHA

[@carterhanson8101]

This feels like a classic Vlogbrothers video. I love when you guys just talk about the nerdy stuff that you like, but give it a depth that makes it so much more.

[@spidermanandsnape]

This reminded me of a vlogbrothers video from 10 years ago, the man who throws the tetris piece. I still hear the lyrics in my head whenever I play tetris and hear the music.

[@sadgiraffe6669]

Imagine if the the title said fish instead of humans

[@yveltalsea]

i would be very very concerned

[@NateandNoahTryLife]

John this author thing is a bit played out maybe you should be a pro gamer

[@flaming6]

You dare discourage an artist from their art?! A person from their self care?! Dishonor on your cow!

[@ijaH000]

i mean, this is why I follow hank and john. their videos are just too good. thought provoking.

[@brucecapua9840]

Just found your channel, its awesome. Still waiting for the thought bubble.

[@3rkid]

This was definitely about the Dream lol.

[@fatihmehmetbeyaz9030]

Baris ozcandan gelen işsiz var mi

[@axer4817]

Wow, I almost forgot about this wonderful game. Thank John, that was fascinating!!!

[@harley1063]

I've been watching vlogbrothers since 2012 and I think the reason I've kept this such a consistent part of my life is because you and Hank both have this relentless optimism, that you both acknowledge the bad and the way the world is changing for the worse, and yet you still find ways in which its changing for the better and go out of your way to share that with others. It's something that shaped me as a person as a depressed 14-year-old and it reminds me of who I want to be. Thank you for choosing to make this your voice in the world.