Tetris in the sky: Gamers play on Philly building (Update)
by Kathy Matheson
The classic video game Tetris is played on the 29-story Cira Centre in Philadelphia, Saturday, April 5, 2014, using hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade. The spectacle kicks off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week and also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
A skyscraper-sized version of the classic video game Tetris in Philadelphia created a spectacle that organizers hope inspired onlookers and players to think about the possibilities of technology.
The 29-story Cira Centre has hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade and provided a 100,000-square-foot "screen" for the gamers on Saturday. Competitors used joysticks to maneuver Images of supersized shapes that "fell" on the tower.
The marvel kicked off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week. It also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris, a game loved for its elegance and simplicity.
Game designer Frank Lee says that putting Tetris on a building was like making a huge virtual campfire. The associate professor of digital media at Drexel University called it a way to unite the city.
The classic video game Tetris is played on the 29-story Cira Centre in Philadelphia, Saturday April 5, 2014, using hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade. The spectacle kicks off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week and also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
Frank Lee, right, a Drexel University game-design professor, and game designer Henk Rogers, center, play the classic video game Tetris on the 29-story Cira Centre in Philadelphia, Saturday, April 5, 2014, using hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade. The spectacle kicks off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week and also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
Frank Lee, right, a Drexel University game-design professor, and game designer Henk Rogers play the classic video game Tetris on the 29-story Cira Centre in Philadelphia, Saturday April 5, 2014, using hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade. The spectacle kicks off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week and also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
The classic video game Tetris is played on the 29-story Cira Centre in Philadelphia, Saturday, April 5, 2014, using hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade. The spectacle kicks off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week and also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
Citation:
Tetris in the sky: Gamers play on Philly building (Update) (2014, April 5)
retrieved 23 April 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2014-04-pieces-fall-big-tetris-game.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
