Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco
A video-game favorite for years, Tetris is likely one of the most popular games of all time. The goal is to fit the falling shapes into a line without leaving any space. Sounds simple, right? In reality, you may not realize that you benefit from the process while you think about how to fit each piece into the puzzle. Tetris is excellent for many reasons, and it is for these reasons that everyone should give it a try.
Tetris can help you develop skills that are transferable to your real life, whether you’re just starting or you’re an avid player. Tetris is more than a puzzle; it goes beyond rotating and moving the falling blocks allowing the game to strengthen your brain by potentially increasing cognitive abilities.
Play Tetris to boost your mood or ward off negative vibes while improving your brain’s abilities – and that’s just the start of the benefits. Below are many of the advantages to expect when playing the game.
15 advantages and benefits of playing Tetris:
1. The Tetris Effect
Tetris can help you conquer your clutter, whether you are an organizational pro or just wish things were less scattered everywhere. In layman’s terms, Tetris Effect is a phenomenon where a person plays Tetris for such a long time that they begin to model their lives after it.
Tetris players can better visualize how shapes and objects in the real world fit together and rearrange them strategically to maximize space. In the words of its creators, “Tetris makes order from chaos.” Did you know there’s something called Tetris Feng Shui? Just look it up!
2. Get In The Flow Zone
When you master Tetris, you can enter what the renowned psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi called Flow. As you become increasingly immersed in the game, you become less self-conscious and more focused on the here and now.
The way you assemble your tetrominoes gives you a sense of control over the situation by clarifying your needs and wants. The flow zone reduces anxiety and achieves happiness because it provides immediate feedback and makes a person confident of success.
3. Mind Your Brain
According to Mind Research Network’s study, female participants’ MRI scans showed that playing Tetris resulted in a thicker cortex. Scientists believe that the areas that showed a thicker cortex stimulated the planning of complex movements and boosted multi-sensory integration.
4. Invest In Your Memory
Tetris requires the player to store and process images as fast as possible to arrange the pieces efficiently. The player learns crucial skills through Tetris, including memorizing the matrix’s foundation and placing the falling tiles perfectly on time. When a person plays the game often, they can potentially enhance their brain’s physical and cognitive development, which leads to improved memory capacity. And, just like we mentioned before, you can apply just about any Tetris skill to real life.
5. Satisfy Your Problem-Solving Needs
Many people enjoy playing Tetris for its sense of organization. It is true Tetris teaches you how to arrange the blocks in a specific order, but it’s also a way to improve your problem-solving skills. Mathematicians have said that Tetris is not an easy game, and it consists of NP problems. Your brain searches for creative solutions as you move and rotate the shapes to clear the rows and prevent the grid from reaching the top.
6. Can Help Reduce The Effects Of Traumatic Events And Anxiety
Because Tetris is a visually demanding game, it could potentially block intrusive memories of traumatic experiences and reduce their reoccurrence over time.
A study from the Oxford University’s Department of Psychiatry found that people who played Tetris within four hours of facing or reliving a traumatic event experienced fewer intrusive memories during the week following conducting the study. According to a study published in the journal Emotion (APA), people who played Tetris at a moderate level had a reduced perception of their anxiety and stress level.
7. Get Your Mind Off Of Addictions
Research published by the Addictive Behavior journal indicates that Tetris can act to reduce harmful cravings, including drug, food, and activity cravings, when played for three minutes. Also, the game distracts one from the physical and mental disorientation associated with excessive consumption.
8. A Help For Lazy Eyes
Tetris requires that players pay attention to many areas of the game. Because you have to watch several spots simultaneously and use your peripheral vision to achieve the game’s goal, it trains both eyes to cooperate. Thus, Tetris has been researched as a way to treat lazy eyes. The study, conducted by a team of doctors at McGill University, showed that getting both eyes to work together increases plasticity or adaptability in the brain and enables the weaker eye to relearn how to see.
9. Become More Patient
It takes countless hours of intense practice to become an expert at Tetris. The game requires people to stick to a practice routine, not just in terms of game strategy but also in practicing patience. While you are becoming skillful, you will face a lot of frustration and learn techniques to clear your mind, think about your missteps, and tackle them. Although this concept may work well in video games, it can also work in real life, leading to a more conscientious person.
10. Beat Morning Grogginess
If you are the type of person who sets up several alarms to wake up in the morning but still can’t pull yourself out of your warm and comfy bed, try playing Tetris first thing. Tetris can help you awaken your brain because it requires it to work on several cognitive areas and boosts your brain energy.
11. Make The Most Of Your Relaxation Time
Tetris can be a game of infinite repetition and challenge. As the blocks continue to fall, it keeps players engaged for hours. As Tetris demands your full attention, it can distract you from worries and stress and let you focus on your relaxing time. Playing Tetris outdoors is especially beneficial because it can put your mind and body in sync, feeling great on the outside and calm on the inside.
12. Learn To Balance Your Time And Priorities
Tetris can be a great teacher if you’re having difficulty prioritizing. To keep up with the game, you must change your priorities very quickly. You can apply this pattern in the real world when you encounter situations that disturb your routine and require you to switch tasks. The skills you learn through the game will make them easier to accomplish.
13. Develop Your Spatial Intelligence
Spatial intelligence is a term that defines your ability to build and retain well-structured visual images. It’s a feat commonly shared by architects and engineers who use this skill to build creative solutions. Several studies have shown that Tetris can help improve spatial skills, such as mental rotation, spatial perception, and spatial visualization.
14. Become More Efficient In What You Do
In the 90s, Dr. Richard Haier, from the University of California at Irvine’s Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, scanned students’ brains while playing Tetris. Haier found out that as they progressed in the game and advanced to more challenging and fast-paced levels, the brain stopped using inefficient gray matter and lowered cerebral metabolic rates, thus improving the players’ performance.
15. Earn Money By Playing Tetris
The Tetris mobile game received a new update in 2020 that included a new Tetris Primetime mode, where winners would receive cash prizes. Players compete for a prize pool. It must be thrilling to earn some money arranging blocks.
In closing
Tetris not only provides entertainment, but it’s also a good tool for improving our lives. Tetris has proven to be so much more than a video game with many benefits for cognitive abilities and therapeutic purposes.
Alexey Pajitnov, the game’s original creator, had no idea that his game would have such a profound effect on gamers and scientists. However, many decades later, Tetris continues to be the subject of relevant studies and a game loved by many generations.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who enjoy sharing their knowledge about their favorite games with others!
JC Franco
JC Franco serves as a New York-based editor for Gamesver. His interest for board games centers around chess, a pursuit he began in elementary school at the age of 9. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Mercyhurst University, JC brings a blend of business acumen and creative insight to his role. Beyond his editorial endeavors, he is a certified USPTA professional, imparting his knowledge in tennis to enthusiasts across the New York City Metropolitan area.