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Michael Artiaga has become the first person to make the classic video game Tetris reset to level 0 after beating it. The 16-year-old from the US achieved this during a livestream on Twitch on Sunday. He was playing Nintendo’s version of the game.
It took Artiaga 82 minutes to clear level 255, the highest level in Tetris. He was using his screen name “dogplayingtetris,” when he started to celebrate. He was also shocked when the game automatically reset.
Artiaga finished the game with a score of 29.4 million points. He was relieved at the end of his stream, saying, “I’m so glad that game is over”. He also said that he never wants to play it again.
Reports say that Artiaga was playing a version of the game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console that doesn’t crash after level 155. Game crashes have stopped other young streamers trying to set records.
Earlier this year, Willis “Blue Scuti” Gibson, another teen from the US, claimed to beat the game when he reached level 157 in 38 minutes before the game crashed.
Tetris was created in 1984 by Soviet engineer Alexey Pajitnov. It has been adapted into many versions for arcades, consoles, and PCs. The game remains popular for its simplicity and challenging gameplay.
Artiaga became the youngest Tetris world champion at age 13 when he won the Classic Tetris World Championship in 2020.
In the YouTube video description of his stream he thanked supporters and wrote, “It’s finally over.”
Vocabulary
- Classic – something that many people think is high-quality and has been great for a long time; old and well-known
- Video game – a game that is played on a computer or other electronic device
- Reset – To start something over from the beginning;
- Beat – to defeat an opponent or win a competition; to win a match/game against another person/team; to complete a game successfully
- Achieve – To successfully complete or accomplish something; to do something successfully
- During – While something is happening;
- Live – Happening “now”; happening in real time
- Stream – a song or video that is available on the internet without downloading it;
- Live stream – To show something happening in real-time over the internet
- Version – a copy of something that has been changed so it’s a little different; something a little different from others of the same type
- Clear – To finish something successfully, especially a level or stage in a game
- Screen name – A name that someone uses online
- Celebrate – To do something special or enjoyable for an important event; to party
- Shocked – very surprised
- Automatically – when something happens on its own, without a person making it happen; doesn’t need an operator or a person; happens by itself
- Score – Points in a game; A number that shows how well someone did in a game
- Million – 1,000,000 = one-million
- Point – A unit of scoring in a game; A score in a game or competition
- Relieved – happy because something bad did not happen
- Glad – happy
- Report – a written description of an event; story; article; the results of a study or project
- Console (game console) – Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch are consoles
- Crash – a sudden failure that stops a computer or electronic device; to stop working/functioning
- Streamer – A person who shows videos live on the internet (often on Twitch, Instagram Live, Snapchat, YouTube Live, X, etc.)
- Record – the most or least ever; the highest level ever; achieved/done for the first time.
- Set a record – to achieve/do something better or more significant than anyone has done before; the most or least ever measured
- Claim – a statement; to say something, usually without proof or evidence; allegation; suggestion
- Reach – hit; achieve; make it to; attain;
- Soviet – related to or from the former Soviet Union;
- Engineer – a person who designs, builds, and/or maintains engines, machines, buildings, computer systems, etc.
- Adapt – to change or modify something to suit/fit a new situation or purpose; to get used to
- Arcade – a place with many video games; a center/shop that people can visit to play different video games
- Remain – To stay the same; to continue; to “keep”;
- Popular – Liked by many people; something many people like; common; frequent
- Simplicity – Easy to understand
- Challenging – Difficult but interesting
- Gameplay – The way that a game is played; How a game is played; what a game “feels like”
- Champion – the winner 🏆
- Championship – A big competition to find the best team or player; The biggest prize in a sport
- Description – an explanation/clarification that tells people what something is like or how it works
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think Tetris remains a popular game?
- Have you ever played Tetris? What do you think of the game? Are you good at it?
- Do you think it’s impressive that Michael Artiaga was able to beat Tetris and reset the game to level 0? Why or why not?
- What do you think about live streams of people playing video games? Is it interesting?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
Michael Artiaga has _____ the first person to make the classic video game Tetris _____ to level 0 after beating it. The 16-year-old _____ the US achieved this during a livestream on Twitch on _____. He was playing Nintendo’s _____ of the game.
It took Artiaga 82 minutes to clear level _____, the highest level in Tetris. He was using his _____ name “dogplayingtetris,” when he started to _____. He was also shocked when the game _____ reset.
Artiaga finished the game with a score of _____ million points. He was relieved at the end of his stream, saying, “I’m so glad that game is _____”. He also said that he never wants to play it again.
_____ say that Artiaga was playing a version of the game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) _____ that doesn’t crash after level 155. Game crashes have stopped other young streamers _____ to set records.
Earlier this year, Willis “Blue Scuti” Gibson, _____ teen from the US, claimed to beat the game when _____ reached level 157 in _____ minutes before the game crashed.
Tetris was created in _____ by Soviet engineer Alexey Pajitnov. It has been adapted into many versions for _____, consoles, and PCs. The game remains popular for its simplicity and challenging gameplay.
Artiaga became the youngest Tetris _____ champion at age 13 when he won the Classic Tetris World Championship in _____.
In the YouTube video _____ of his stream he thanked supporters and wrote, “It’s finally _____.”
