Tetris sensation from Oklahoma gets opportunity to meet game's creator

Stillwater native Willis Gibson, who recently became the first documented human to beat the classic video game Tetris, was surprised during an interview with NBC News, as he got to meet Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov.

NBC News screenshot

In a whirlwind media tour, 13-year-old Willis Gibson from Stillwater, Oklahoma, has become the first documented human to conquer the classic video game Tetris. His remarkable achievement recently garnered the attention of Tetris game creator Alexey Pajitnov and Tetris Company founder Henk Rogers, adding another exciting chapter to Gibson's extraordinary journey.

During a segment with NBC News that aired on Friday, Gibson and his mother, Karin Cox, experienced an unexpected surprise during a Zoom call when Pajitnov and Rogers joined the interview. Expressing his disbelief, Gibson stated, "I never thought I would be able to talk to you guys," as reported on the NBC News website.

Henk Rogers, reflecting on witnessing the historic moment when the original Nintendo version of Tetris was defeated, shared his admiration for Gibson's incredible determination. "Of course, his reaction is great," Rogers remarked with a smile. "That’s like the epic achievement. But what it took for him to get there was incredible determination."

In a heartwarming twist, Pajitnov himself appeared on the Zoom call to congratulate Gibson. Speaking in broken English, Pajitnov acknowledged the significance of Gibson's accomplishment, stating, "Congrats for you, guy, to beat the program that kind of existed for many years and played by hundreds of millions of people. That’s quite [an] achievement, I would say."

Clearly in awe, Gibson struggled to find words when asked for his reaction to Pajitnov's comments. Grinning from ear to ear, all he could manage was a heartfelt, "Thank you."

A complementary story on the NBC News website revealed another touching moment that didn't make it into the video segment. Pajitnov, attempting to humble the Stillwater Junior High student, emphasized that Gibson hadn't just crashed his game but had taken on a program created 40 years ago by NES engineers. In Pajitnov's words, "He didn’t crash my game. He crashed the program which was created 40 years ago by NES engineers. So, the game is not crashable at all."

As Gibson prepares to compete at a live Tetris tournament in Waco, Texas, on January 20-21, his journey continues to captivate audiences and showcase the enduring impact of the iconic Tetris game.