Michael Artiaga, known to the online gaming community as "dogplayingtetris," recently achieved an extraordinary milestone by becoming the first known player to reset the classic video game Tetris to its starting level after clearing the notoriously challenging Level 255. This so-called "rebirth" was accomplished during a live Twitch stream, where viewers watched with bated breath as Artiaga navigated through 80 minutes of intense gameplay.
The event unfolded over the weekend, marking yet another significant achievement for the competitive gaming scene surrounding Tetris, which originally debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) back in 1989. It was thought nearly impossible to surpass Level 29 due to the game's increasing speed and difficulty, along with the inherent glitches found at higher levels.
Artiaga's gameplay began with him taking on these formidable challenges. Using advanced techniques like "rolling" and "hypertapping," which allow players to move pieces much faster than traditional methods, he successfully cleared the first 255 levels. These new methods, developed by the community over recent years, have pushed the boundaries of what players can achieve. His accomplishment concluded with Artiaga managing to score 29.4 million points by the end of his session, delighting and surprising both himself and his audience.
After clearing enough lines to trigger the rebirth—3,300 lines, to be exact—Artiaga found himself back at Level 0. The weight of the moment clearly hit him as he stared incredulously at the screen, exclaiming, "Oh my god, I’m so glad the game is over! I never want to play this game again, bro...I was starting to lose my mind." His reactions during the stream reflect not just the pressure of competitive gaming but the immense joy of accomplishing what many deemed impossible.
This achievement follows the efforts of another young phenom from Oklahoma, Willis “Blue Scuti” Gibson, who earlier this year claimed he was the first person to beat the NES version of Tetris by reaching Level 157, only to face the infamous kill screen—an unplayable state where the game crashes. Gibson's achievement ended relatively quickly compared to Artiaga's marathon session, highlighting the different approaches to gameplay within the community.
While Gibson took the title of the first to achieve the highest pre-rebirth score without modified software, Artiaga's use of specially modified game code enabled him to avoid crashes and glitches, particularly prominent at levels beyond 155, where the chances of the game crashing become significant. According to reports, the version Artiaga used was enhanced to account for these issues, enabling his historic run.
This Tetris milestone is significant not only for the individual players but also for the broader gaming community. Classic Tetris has seen renewed interest with more young players experimenting with advanced techniques, and community events bringing together players from around the globe. This resurgence can be attributed to various content creators on platforms like Twitch who have inspired others to pick up the game and aim high.
Artiaga has not been new to competitive gaming; he became the youngest winner of the Classic Tetris World Championships at just 13 years old, demonstrating his exceptional skill and focus long before reaching this recent achievement. Fans of the game and aspiring players alike now look to him as both a pioneer and inspiration, hoping to replicate his success.
Emphasizing the emotional rollercoaster of his recent gaming session, Artiaga remarked on social media how grateful he was for the support of his friends and followers over the years. "I still cannot believe it... first ever to get Rebirth!" he shared, with the play recorded on platforms like YouTube, creating additional waves of excitement within the gaming community. Artiaga’s otherworldly performance has drawn comparisons with similar milestones across classic gaming landscapes, showcasing what players are capable of achieving with determination and practice.
So, as players move forward, seeking new records and personal bests, the community will undoubtedly watch with anticipation to see who might attempt to achieve a double rebirth—an even more audacious batting of the game system where the level resets again after reaching Level 0. Considering the advancements made so far, it's anyone's guess what new heights the Tetris community will reach next. For now, Michael Artiaga's spectacular feat stands as another historical moment—one of countless others woven through the colorful legacy of Tetris, satisfying not only for the players but for fans who have cheered from the sidelines through every twist, turn, and drop of those iconic blocks.
