World’s Largest Game Of Tetris Played On Side Of Philly Skyscraper

Philly Tetris

Apparently, this is what you do in Philadelphia on a Saturday night:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Sam Robinson said it’s been about 15 years since he last played the videogame Tetris on a Game Boy. On Saturday night, he played it on the side of a skyscraper.

Robinson, 30, was among the hundreds of Tetris fans who had a little fun Saturday with a big version of the classic video game on the side of the 29-story Cira Centre in downtown Philadelphia.

“It has been probably 15 years since I played Tetris last on a Game Boy, and it’s much different playing on the side of building that’s a half-mile away,” the city resident said. “Everything’s happening so quick.”

The hundreds of LED lights embedded in the building’s glass facade normally display colorful patterns. On Saturday night, images of supersized shapes “fell” on two sides of the mirrored tower as competitors used joysticks to maneuver them, creating a spectacle against the night sky that organizers hoped inspired onlookers and players to think about the possibilities of technology.

It wasn’t the first time Tetris has been played on a building. But the 100,000-square-foot “screen” – which includes the north and south faces of the structure – could be a record.

Here’s the video:

FILED UNDER: Entertainment, Science & Technology,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Some people have too much time and too much money. Glad to see them use both properly.

  2. ernieyeball says:

    @OzarkHillbilly: There is no such thing as too much money. When you think you have too much money feel free to redistribute the surplus to me.

  3. Tillman says:

    @OzarkHillbilly: News stories rarely go into the procedure for how these neat, amazing events happen, because then you’d learn the money and privilege involved and then you’d wonder why they didn’t sponsor some starving kids around the world instead.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to play Tetris on the side of a building. I’d also like to feed a bunch of kids I don’t know, and between the two one seems the nobler effort.

  4. grumpy realist says:

    MIT students already pulled this as a hack on the side the Green Building.

  5. ernieyeball says:

    @Tillman: …you’d wonder why they didn’t sponsor some starving kids around the world instead.

    Apparently you have indisputable evidence that they do not do both.
    Or maybe citizens should eschew all forms of entertainment and leisure activities and practice tithing.

  6. Tillman says:

    @ernieyeball:

    Apparently you have indisputable evidence that they do not do both.

    Why is it always indisputable evidence with you? Can’t a dude make a sweeping generalization with little to no justification on an Internet political blog these days without being weighed down by trifles like “evidence” and “knowledge”? This isn’t America anymore!

    Or maybe citizens should eschew all forms of entertainment and leisure activities and practice tithing.

    Well duh. Haven’t you read Peter Singer? We’re all morally bankrupt because we watch movies and play video games instead of feeding starving children. I should be cramming food into a malnourished war orphan right now, but no, I just had to get on the Internet.

  7. ernieyeball says:

    Why is it always indisputable evidence with you?

    I should live in Missouri, you gotta’ show me…gas tax is lower too!