13-Year-Old Oklahoma Prodigy Conquers the Legendary Game of Tetris

plus, the game's secret connection to the CIA's venture arm, In-Q-Tel

More than 30 years after the game was created, a 13-year-old Willis Gibson from Oklahoma has achieved what was once thought to be nearly impossible: he has conquered Tetris, reaching level 157.

Gibson stands as the first known human to achieve this level. Gibson, who finished third in the 2023 world championships, has set a new benchmark for human players. (Notably, a Tetris-playing AI reached level 236 in 2021 by altering the game's parameters)

Gibson’s extraordinary feat, which caused the game to crash, was captured in a YouTube video under his alias “Blue Scuti.” Gibson's 38-minute gameplay video has gone viral, reigniting a wave of nostalgia for Tetris, a game that has captivated players since its creation by a Soviet engineer, Alexey Pajitnov, in 1984. The intriguing story of Tetris, rooted in the Cold War era, was compelling enough to inspire a movie on Apple TV+.

What Does Tetris have to do with the CIA and In-Q-Tel?