A Tetris Video Game Made of Humans

If there is one thing I’ve learned from writing here at BitRebels, it’s that artistic expression comes wrapped up in all kinds of creative packages. I am blown away each week by the art, talent and inspiration that we all share together, readers and writers, on this blog.

This post is no exception. This is yet another very creative group of people that have found a fun way to express their own artistic interpretation of a video game many of us grew up with.

Do you remember the video game Tetris? I used to love that game and even now, every once in a while, when I get lucky at a movie theater or airport, I’ll see a Tetris game and I have to find a quarter. In case you’ve never seen played it, it’s a nail biting game of putting together puzzle pieces in a matter of seconds as they fall down the screen.

As I was scouring the corners of the Internet this week, I found some people that have created their own version of a Human Tetris.

This first video, just filmed a month ago, shows 36 skaters on Freebords (a freebord is a special skateboard designed to simulate a snowboard – it has 6 wheels) flying down the streets of San Francisco in the dark to connect glowing Tetris shapes. These light installations appear to be strapped to their upper bodies or heads. I can’t help but wonder how many times they had to practice this to get it right! I love it!

This next video is a bit older, shot back in 2007. It is a completely different interpretation of a Human Tetris game. This time, it is being played by people sitting in an auditorium. According to YouTube, “This stop-motion video was shot and played for “LES URBAINES” festival https://www.urbaines.ch at the Palais de Rumine (Lausanne, Switzerland) on November 24th 2007.”

The creativity and effort in both of these videos is inspiring to me. I’ll never play Tetris the same way again after watching these!