Willis Gibson made video game history this week as the 13-year-old became the first person to win the NES version of Tetris in an awesome viral moment where his skills were so great that it literally broke the game.
The feat has already reached mythical status, but get ready to bust out the tissues. In a new interview with MSNBC, Gibson dedicated his record-breaking achievement to his dad who died just last month in December.
“I’m dedicating it to my dad,” Gibson told MSNBC’s Steve Patterson. “He was always very supportive, and I think he’d be proud.”
Is it getting misty here? What’s happening? Via Mediaite:
Patterson’s report included a video of the moment Gibson realized he had beaten the game, saying, “You are witnessing one of the proudest moments in the history of video games. Tetris, finally toppled by human hands,” as Gibson is heard celebrating and declaring, “I can’t feel my fingers!”
Patterson continued, “The 13-year-old prodigy scoring so high the game could no longer function, reaching its once-mythical ‘kill screen’ in 38 minutes at level 157.”
“I was just sort of shocked and just happy that I did it,” Gibson said.
Gibson’s touching dedication arrives shortly after Sky News broadcaster Jayne Secker mocked the young boy for his impressive Tetris achievement by telling him to “go outside.” The callous remarks were widely rebuked on social media as gamers, and basically anyone with a soul, rushed to defend the boy with tweets like the one below:
As a Dad, I can safely tell you if Kit beat an unbeatable game and set a world record at 13 I’d be incredibly proud.
That comment was so outdated and in such poor taste to basically punch down on a child I’m almost lost for words.
How is this reporting the news? https://t.co/664LX9dmRL
— Jimmy Bowers (@jimmysbowers) January 4, 2024
(Via Mediaite)