A Sad Reminder

Yesterday I bought a copy of the 1987 Tetris for NES. After playing it, I'm reminded that I'm actually scared of the game.

I only had one version of the game. A cheap LCD screen ripoff bought from Walmart when I was a kid. This was only given to me because I just wanted my parents to give me something to do to shut me up on our long roadtrips in the summer. This one has a backlight.
It was fun, I played it on most trips, just playing away, getting one line at a time, until I would give up and "kill myself" Over time I found you could get more points for getting more than one line at a time, not to mention it looked cool. So, when I had the chance, I'd get 2 or 3 lines at once. Once and a while Id get really lucky and get 4 lines at a time. After a few summers, I forgot about taking it on trips and then entirely.

Fast forward a few years, till I'm in high school. I spent majority of my life playing video games and neglecting all my duties. Typical gamer upbringing. I made a new friend, and even bigger gamer than me... at the time. I would go to his place to play and trade video games, watch anime, LARP, and just do stupid stuff. One day we decided to play Tetris out of the blue, I figured I was good and could probably beat him.

It was then I learned that I am the worst Tetris player ever. No strategy, holes everywhere, one line at a time, messy, and so on. I never knew there was a strategy set in stone, and things like holding pieces. No one had ever told me before. After my humiliating defeat, I decided not to play for a long time.

I always dabbled at the game when I was bored, or happened to come across that little blue LCD version. I looked into learning the strategy one day, to make myself look a little less pathetic. Then I came across the Tetris Master video on eBaums

I felt I would never get good and even if I did I would never amount to anything near that. I gave up, while my friend, inspired by the video aspired to get that good, and succeeded.

Now back to today. I bought the game from the thrift store along with Dr.Mario thinking me and my fiance could play together cause she likes these sorts of games and I needed something aside from Ice Hockey that was 2-Player for my NES. I start playing just to test it out, works fine. Them I'm reminded. "Oh yeah, you suck." I just play to do my best, I go with the proper strategy from memory. not working, I keep getting holes, messing it up. The screen fills up, i make a big mistake and the blocks reach the top.

*BZZZTEEEWWW* The big bars go all over the playing field and the music stops. Suddenly I remember this exact game over screen. memories shoot me back to when I was 4 or 5. My Mother was visiting a girlfriend for the day and took me along. I had always been infatuated with video games, and being the little explorer I was, I wandered into the basement and came across the household NES. I had to play it. I had the choice between DuckTales and "Tetris" SO something I was familiar with and loved, or something new and exciting looking.

I managed to make it work, all on my own. I felt proud. I pressed a few buttons and then the game started playing. The blocks weren't as colorful as on the box, but I had already come to realize the cover of a game isn't always what its like on the TV. I played about, not understanding what was going on, the blocks stacked on top of each other and it was really amazing, but what do you do? I decided to build a tower to the top.

*BZZZTEEEWWW* Me being the skittish kid I was/am. This loud and sudden noise was terrifying. It was dark and I was alone. I ran out screaming and desperately searched for my mother. I stayed away from that basement for the rest of the visit.

I realize now, I suck at Tetris, because I am afraid of Tetris.