An Embarassing Confession: Media Meditation 1

I'm obsessed with...Photo Cred:http://www.ea.com/blogs/e3/celebrate-tetris-25th-anniversary

Yes, that's right Tetris. Everyone knows what Tetris is and if you don't I have a question to ask, do you live under a rock? Now, I don't mean that in a rude way but what person doesn't know what Tetris is; it's only the best multi-media game to ever exist. Tetris first came onto the scene in 1984 when it was designed and programmed by Alexey Pajinitov in the Soviet Union (thank you Wikipedia). Tetris has been adapted for nearly every gaming console, most notably Nintendo, cell phones, smart phones, MP3 players, even graphing calculators. What was thought to be a fad of the '80s turned into a phenomenon that still captivates the lives of people across the world.

You may be wondering, what makes Tetris so special? My answer: it's not special, it's addictive and that's why Tetris has been such a popular game for such a long time. There are many different elements of Tetris that make the game hard to quit. First, it's a full brain workout. Playing tetris utilizes all three of your brains: the neocortex, limbic, and reptilian. The neocortex, which is the part of your brain closet to your skull, is in charge of thinking. When playing tetris you have to always be thinking on your feet (or fingers since they control the game) as to which way you should turn the piece and where you should place it. The limbic, the second brain in, which is in charge of emotions and feelings due to images and music. The bright colored pieces and the upbeat music are taken in and processed due to this specific brain. Lastly, the oldest and last brain, the reptilian is in charge of our most primitive responses of fighting, flighting, mating, and eating. Tetris doesn't make you want to mate or eat but once the speed of the pieces falling increases it makes the player freak out in a way to get the pieces in the right place. In my case, I've recently begun playing Tetris Battle on Facebook where you play against another person which employs the "fighting" response in your Reptilian brain because you want to beat your opponent and win.

Video Cred: Biodriod via YouTube

What I find even more interesting than how playing Tetris is a full brain workout but how well this simple game has found it's way into the 21st century concept of convergence. Like I earlier stated Tetris was initially made for gaming consoles but awhile back it found its way onto cell phones and smartphones. That is how I initially started playing Tetris back in high school because I downloaded an application to my cell phone. My time was consumed by it. I hadn't played Tetris since tenth grade but a couple weeks again I discovered a new medium in which to play it: Facebook. I can now play Tetris while being on Facebook competing in Tetris Battle against other people on Facebook or with my own friends.

So, if you're looking for something fun to do to waste some time when you don't feel like doing something you know you should be doing, invest in checking out Tetris Battle on Facebook. Before long, you'll be addicted and a Tetris champion.

Also if you have a YouTube account sign in and check out Tetris God, it's super funny but I couldn't embed it to my blog.