It all starts from boredom, or curiosity, or maybe some combination of the two. At some point, though, one finally decides to go to the Games folder of their Start Menu and see what this whole weird Tetris thing is all about. Some simply scratch their heads in confusion and walk away; others find themselves drawn into the addiction at once.
This article is for people of the latter variety. It’s also for those new to Tetris, who want to have a better idea of what the hell they’re doing, exactly. We’re going to start by assuming that one already has the basics down and is ready to move on to more elite, skilled maneuvers (cough, cough).
The first thing that many individuals have trouble wrapping their heads around is relatively simple but needs to be pointed out, anyway-you don’t play Tetris to “win.” Nobody ever finishes the whole game, to do so would take nearly superhuman skill at using a keyboard. What you’re playing for is, instead, to get the highest score that you possibly can.
First off, provided that you’re good enough to not need the ridiculously slow speeds of the earliest levels, feel free to skip some levels ahead. This will simply make the speed of the falling blocks a bit faster and in some versions of Tetris, change your background to a different color or pattern. More importantly, though, it will make you earn more points every time you clear a line than you would from clearing a line on a lower level.
Now, here comes the important part about clearing lines; don’t do it one a time! This is the most frequent mistake many Tetris players make. Yes, it’s easier that way but it won’t help your score much. What you want to do, instead, is put all your focus on the long, rectangular piece that resembles an “I.” Stack your blocks as you would otherwise but leave a long canal one side of the screen. If one can picture this, imagine, say, four rows of blocks except for one line down the side that is empty. Once this is done, simply bide your time until the rectangular block is presented to you, at which point you can simply drop the piece into the slot you’ve created for it and clear four lines at once. Voila!
The last tip that I have to offer is this; once you’ve figured out how to do the above technique, be careful in crafting your walls of blocks. Nothing can mess you up faster than leaving little gaps or spaces, because then suddenly your walls won’t clear away and those long rectangular pieces lose their worth. Before you know it, the blocks will be stacked too high in a desperate effort to regain your composure and the game will be lost.
Hopefully these tips and tricks from a “seasoned” Tetris player like me will serve to help your game. Good luck!
