All posts tagged: Tetris

Man builds Tetris console inside cardboard box

Man builds Tetris console inside cardboard box

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. There was a time when you had to travel to your nearest arcade or beg your parents for a Game Boy if you wanted to play Tetris. Today, the iconic, addictive puzzler is available online for free and in countless forms across nearly every gaming platform imaginable—even a PDF. Part of the inherent appeal for many people is the game’s mounting difficulty, but more crafty fans can take things up a notch by building their own Tetris-playing machine. And as software writer and hobbyist William Gaspar recently proved, you don’t need a plastic case to protect it. A tiny cardboard box will do just fine. Gaspar’s creation looks endearingly wonky, but manages to play Tetris (not to mention Snake) as well as any premium device. All of the code information and construction steps are available for free on GitHub, too. The key to its size and affordability is an Arduino computer paired with an ATmega328P single-chip microcontroller, as well …

Tetris: Popular online puzzle game can help reduce PTSD symptoms

Tetris: Popular online puzzle game can help reduce PTSD symptoms

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Playing the classic video game Tetris could offer a novel approach to reducing distressing memories following trauma, a new trial has indicated. Researchers found that health workers who engaged with the puzzle game as part of their treatment experienced a significant reduction in flashbacks. Experts are now keen to expand testing of the method, which they describe as “accessible, scalable and adaptable”, to a broader population. The study, a collaboration between researchers in the UK and Sweden, involved 99 NHS staff members who had been exposed to traumatic events, such as witnessing deaths, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Forty of these participants received the treatment, known as imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), which involved playing a slow version of Tetris. During the intervention, individuals were asked to briefly recall a traumatic memory before using their mind’s eye to visualise the Tetris grid …

Tetris can help tackle memories of past trauma, study finds | Science, Climate & Tech News

Tetris can help tackle memories of past trauma, study finds | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by Daniella Wilson

Playing Tetris could help tackle memories of past trauma, research has found. The trial included close to 100 NHS staff who had been exposed to trauma at work – such as witnessing deaths during the pandemic. It found those who played the classic video game as part of their treatment experienced fewer flashbacks. The study was carried out by researchers in the UK and Sweden, with experts now hoping to test the method on a larger group of people. Known as imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), the treatment involved some 40 patients playing a slow version of Tetris while briefly recalling a traumatic memory. The group were the asked to use their mind’s eye to imagine the game’s grid and visualise the blocks. ICTI is thought to weaken the vividness of the traumatic memories by occupying the brain’s visuospatial areas, responsible for analysing and understanding physical space. Emily Holmes, a professor of psychology at Uppsala University, who led the study, said: “Even a single, fleeting intrusive memory of past trauma can exert a powerful impact …

Tetris: Popular online puzzle game can help reduce PTSD symptoms

The positive impact playing Tetris can have on your mental health

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Playing the classic video game Tetris could offer a novel approach to reducing distressing memories following trauma, a new trial has indicated. Researchers found that health workers who engaged with the puzzle game as part of their treatment experienced a significant reduction in flashbacks. Experts are now keen to expand testing of the method, which they describe as “accessible, scalable and adaptable”, to a broader population. The study, a collaboration between researchers in the UK and Sweden, involved 99 NHS staff members who had been exposed to traumatic events, such as witnessing deaths, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Forty of these participants received the treatment, known as imagery competing task intervention (ICTI), which involved playing a slow version of Tetris. During the intervention, individuals were asked to briefly recall a traumatic memory before using their mind’s eye to visualise the Tetris grid …