Blasting blocks has become the new way to distract one’s self from the everyday stressors of life. It has taken over the mobile game world, ranking second in the top ten games in the Apple App Store. Block Blast! is a mobile game where players have three blocks per round to place on an eight-by-eight grid. Once a row or column is filled, the blocks blast, and players can gain more points and higher combo levels. Block Blast! has captured people’s attention because of its simplicity and endless sensation.
“I kind of use [Block Blast!] to get off social media,” Lam Vo (12) said. “I had a really bad TikTok addiction, so I would start playing Block Blast! because I feel like it’s a good brain game that [allows you] to exercise your brain [instead of scrolling].”
One reason that many people play Block Blast! for a long time is because of how easy it is to gain points. Almost anyone can play because the game does not require much reasoning or analysis unless a person aspires to reach a goal of 200,000 points like Vo. Although casual players such as Daniela Rodriguez (12) still reach high scores of 98,000 points, it still takes a level of dedication and concentration to place blocks for future bigger plays.
“It’s something to do when I’m bored or like when I’m waiting on something,” Rodriguez said. “To just have [my previous game waiting for me] is really easy [to come back to.]”
Along with the advent of other media addictions, Block Blast! addictions can develop fast. Whether the addiction to a brain-teasing game is better than
scrolling on the phone is up for debate, but many say that the former is better than the latter.
“I think [I replaced] it with my TikTok addiction because even when I close my eyes before sleep, I can see the blocks in my head; it’s actually really addictive …” Vo said. “[In] TikTok or Instagram, lies can influence people, and it’s just a lot of drama and stuff you shouldn’t be focusing on, so I feel like Block Blast! [is an] easy way to get your mind off of things.”
Many make it their personal goal to attain the best score possible on the app. To reach extremely high scores, a person may need to be perceptive and inquisitive about where they place their blocks. Unlike its predecessor Tetris, Block Blast! is less of a high-stress, timed game, which has been unappealing to most. Block Blast! is a game that can be pulled out of one’s pocket and played anywhere and still stay captivating.
“I prefer Block Blast! [over Tetris] because it’s easier to pause the game and come back to it,” Vo said. “But with Tetris, you kind of have to sit there, and the game times you, so it’s a lot harder to play on the daily.”
A common point of interest for many block blasters is beating a person’s high score. A high score on Block Blast! can be a measure of how resourceful, smart or dedicated a person is to the game, and it also gives others a motive to continue playing and beat their friends. This became a major part of the game and made many people competitive with the supposedly calming app.
“It’s so easy and convenient, and there is no brain power to it; anybody can [play] Block Blast! …” Rodriguez said. “[The popularity is in part] because of how easy it is and [the competitive nature] of it, people want to beat each other and be the best.”
Many mobile games have decreased in popularity among teens through the years such as Tetris or Monopoly Go. It might be only a matter of time until the next new puzzle game overthrows Block Blast!, but as of now, people are enjoying the exhilarating, addictive game. Society continuously wants something to tease their brain and challenge their problem-solving skills leaving room for a new game to overthrow, whether it is with puzzles or blocks.
“I just think it’s a fun puzzle game like how people like board games or how people like online video games,” Vo said. “It’s a different type of puzzle that somebody could just sit down and enjoy.”
