A 16-year-old boy plays the entire game of “Tetris.”

An important caveat compared to many previous recording attempts: He was playing with a modified version that prevents the crashes that Tetris is notorious for at higher levels.

The game “Tetris,” with its differently shaped blocks falling from above, appeared on the Nintendo NES console in the 1980s. The goal is to push the blocks left or right until there are no gaps. Complete rows disappear, incomplete rows remain, and finally the screen clogs: game over.

For decades, it was nearly impossible to get past level 29, with blocks falling so quickly that normal button movements were no longer fast enough. But in recent years, gamers have developed techniques with names like “hyper-tapping” and “rolling,” which involve pressing controller buttons or moving your fingers very quickly.

This made it possible to go far beyond level 29 – but then it turned out that bigger problems lurked later. For example, in levels after 138, where blocks sometimes have unusual color patterns, sometimes making them difficult to recognize. From level 155 onwards, the game is more likely to crash when disbanding entire classes. This halted previous records, such as that set by a 13-year-old player with the nickname “BlueScuti,” who smashed the game “Tetris” to level 157 in January.

16-year-old “dogplayingtetris” modified the “Tetris” program code so that there is no need to worry about the risk of crashing. However, the game still offers challenges for him: at level 235, you have to complete 810 rows in order to progress. It is difficult to see the dark green blocks compared to other levels.