Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters

>> IT IS ESTIMATED THAT TWO

OUT OF EVERY THREE AMERICANS

HAVE PLAYED TETRIS.

TETRIS IS A GAME OF SKILL.

SEVEN BLOCKS OF DIFFERENT SHAPES

DESCEND FROM THE TOP

OF THE SCREEN.

THE PLAYER MUST ARRANGE THEM TO

FORM AND CLEAR HORIZONTAL LINES.

SUCCESS IS MEASURED

BY THE NUMBER OF LINES CLEARED

AND THE TOTAL NUMBER

OF POINTS SCORED.

AS THE PLAYER CLEARS MORE LINES,

THE PIECES FALL FASTER.

THE FASTER THE PIECES FALL,

THE MORE POINTS ARE SCORED.

WHEN THE PIECES REACH THE TOP

OF THE SCREEN, THE GAME IS OVER.

RUSSIAN COMPUTER SCIENTIST,

ALEXEY PAJITNOV,

INVENTED TETRIS IN 1984

ON AN ELECTRONIKA 60.

IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED,

THE GAME EXPLODED IN POPULARITY

AND WAS PORTED TO VIRTUALLY

EVERY COMPUTER AND CONSOLE ON

THE MARKET.

IN 1989, NINTENDO

RELEASED TETRIS FOR THE GAME BOY

AND THE NINTENDO

ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM,

SELLING NEARLY 40 MILLION COPIES

AND BRINGING THE GAME

TO THE MASSES.

IN 1990, NINTENDO CHOSE TETRIS

AS THE CENTRAL GAME

IN THE LARGEST VIDEO-GAME

TOURNAMENT THE WORLD HAD EVER

THE NINTENDO

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

A 14-YEAR-OLD BOY

FROM TEXAS NAMED THOR WON.

NINTENDO'S TETRIS CAME TO BE

VIEWED AS THE DEFINITIVE VERSION

OF THE GAME...

ITS SECRETS AND MYSTERIES

FASCINATING THE BEST PLAYERS

IN THE DECADES TO COME.

EVERY SUCCESSFUL GAME ENDS WITH

THE SAME MESSAGE TO THE PLAYER.

THIS IS THE STORY OF THE PEOPLE

WHO TRULY MASTERED THE GAME.

>> I HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT PLAY

TETRIS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS,

AND NOW I'M HERE BECAUSE I HEARD

ABOUT A TETRIS COMPETITION,

AND I'M HERE, HOPEFULLY,

TO WIN IT.

I MEAN, I BEGAN TETRIS REALLY

WHEN I WAS A KID.

I USED TO TAKE STATISTICS

OF EVERY SINGLE GAME I PLAYED,

AND WRITE DOWN

WHETHER I HAD A CUP

OF COFFEE BEFOREHAND

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

TO KIND OF SEE WHAT WOULD MAKE

ME PLAY TETRIS THE BEST.

AND I FOUND OUT THAT, ACTUALLY,

EXACTLY ONE HALF-HOUR

BEFORE YOU HAVE --

AFTER YOU HAVE SOME COFFEE,

YOU PLAY THE BEST.

>> TOP PLAYERS, MOVING

TO THE SUPER NINTENDO VERSION,

WE ACTUALLY

PLAY AGAINST EACH OTHER

AND EVERY TIME YOU GET A TETRIS,

IT SENDS GARBAGE

TO THE OTHER PERSON.

OH, THE MOST PAINFUL MISDROP

IN ASHLEY'S LIFE.

LET'S SEE IF SHE CAN SURVIVE.

OH.

I'M SORRY.

TETRIS IS NOT FAIR, FOLKS.

>> I GOT TO GET IT TOGETHER.

I'M STILL IN A VIABLE PLACE.

I CAN HEAR HIS BREATH.

>> BEN WAS JUST INFORMED THAT

IN THE FINAL MATCH, THE PLAYERS

WON'T BE ALLOWED

TO ROTATE THE PIECES.

THIS IS CONSIDERED

A VERY UNUSUAL STYLE OF PLAYING.

>> CHK, CHK, CHK, CHK, CHK, CHK,

CHK, CHK.

THIS IS WHAT 15 YEARS OF PLAYING

ONE GAME AND ONE GAME ONLY WILL

GET YOU -- IN A TOURNAMENT

SOMEWHERE AND A DOCUMENTARY

THEREAFTER.

IT'S ALL ABOUT TETRIS.

CHK, CHK, CHK, CHK, CHK, CHK.

GOES A LOT FASTER THAN THAT

IF YOU'RE REALLY GOOD.

>> WE HAVE A NEW LOW...

53 POINTS.

SHE CAME IN AND ASKED

FOR A GLASS OF BLOOD.

MOLLIN CLEARS A LITTLE SPACE,

GETS READY FOR HER LONG BAR.

AND LOOK AT THIS COMEBACK.

>> OH, MOLLIN

TAKES IT BY A LANDSLIDE.

YOU'RE A CHAMPION.

MOLLIN NYLANDER.

AND THAT'S IT,

EVERYBODY PLEASE GO HOME.

>> SO THIS ONE IS $3.

>> YEAH.

YOU GOT THREE MORE FOR $5.

>> YEAH.

>> IF I BOUGHT ALL THREE OF 'EM,

WOULD YOU GO TO $4 FOR EACH?

>> SURE.

YOU'RE A GOOD TETRIS HAND?

>> YEAH, WE ARE FINDING THE BEST

TETRIS PLAYER IN THE WORLD.

WE ALWAYS HAD WONDERED WHY

THE BIGGEST GAME IN THE WORLD,

OR WHAT'S PROBABLY THE --

THE MOST PLAYED GAME EVER,

DIDN'T HAVE A CHAMPION.

AND GAMES LIKE PAC-MAN HAD

BILLY MITCHELL AND ASTEROIDS

NOW HAS JOHN McALLISTER,

AND TETRIS IS POSSIBLY EVEN

PLAYED MORE THAN THAT.

AND I DECIDED TO FIND

THE BEST TETRIS PLAYERS

IN THE WORLD

AND PLAY THEM IN A CONTEST.

>> IT'S THE ONLY VIDEO GAME

THAT CAN BE DESCRIBED

AS PERFECT, RIGHT?

BECAUSE HOW WOULD YOU

IMPROVE IT?

WHAT, ADD A SHAPE?

TAKE AWAY A SHAPE?

>> I BELIEVE THAT TETRIS MAY

WELL BE THE FIRST VIRTUAL SPORT.

IF WAS GOING TO PRACTICE, UH,

TO BE THE SMARTEST

OR THE FASTEST THINKER

IN THE WORLD, WOULD I

PLAY FOOTBALL?

I DON'T THINK SO.

I WOULD PLAY TETRIS.

>> FOR MONTHS, I'VE BEEN

SEARCHING FOR THESE, UH,

CRT TELEVISIONS.

THEY'RE KIND OF HARD TO FIND,

BUT, UH, WE'RE HERE

AT THIS THRIFT STORE

AND WE FOUND THE MOTHER LODE.

THERE'S ABOUT 10 IN THERE.

>> DESPITE BEING BASED

IN PORTLAND, OREGON,

ROBIN DECIDES TO HOLD

HIS TOURNAMENT IN LOS ANGELES

IN AN EFFORT

TO DRAW MORE PEOPLE.

HE HOPES THAT IF HE CAN GET

THE BEST PLAYERS INVOLVED

AND CROWN A CHAMPION,

HE WILL HAVE DONE HIS PART

TO LEGITIMIZE TETRIS

AS A PROFESSION SPORT.

>> WELL, I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH

THIS.

>> NO MORE INTERNET SCOREBOARDS,

NO MORE SECOND CHANCES,

JUST A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED

FACE-TO-FACE TOURNAMENT

FOR THE AGES.

>> IT'S A TETRIS SHOWDOWN

OF THE CENTURY,

AND WE'RE JOINED

LIVE BY ROBIN MIHARA.

SO, THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

WHAT KIND OF COMPETITION

WE TALKING ABOUT HERE?

>> UH, WE'RE TALKING

ABOUT THE CLASSIC NES TETRIS.

UH, TETRIS IS PROBABLY

THE MOST-PLAYED

VIDEO GAME OF ALL TIME.

IT'S A --