The candy-colored blocks glide down the screen, landing to create strange L or U structures reminiscent of strangely-shaped buildings from some alternate universe where cotton candy is currency and ice cream is queen. The arrow keys on my laptop become my construction crew as I strategically fit the tetriminos to hopefully create a seamless little world, reconciling the different pieces of the puzzle. I continue to play Tetris, until eventually, the blocks overwhelm the screen, bringing my game to an end.
Tetris is recognized as a game of skill and speed. As simple of a game as it is, playing well requires strategic thinking, deduction, and a sense of where everything fits together. The undeniable logic of Tetris is well-recognized.
Yet, …show more content…
In collective action, however, each part is a person. While humans are certainly much more complex than blocks on a computer screen, tetriminos and individuals are surprisingly comparable. Each individual takes up a different space in society, fitting into different social roles. Likewise, each tetrimino fits into a different crevice because of its shape. Yet, like humans, tetriminos are all fundamentally the same; they are all made up of four blocks, pieced together in different ways. What,then, differentiates the tetriminos? Their shape, be it O, I, T, L, J, S, or Z. Their shape is the sole factor that determines what space they can occupy within the matrix. In this way, the shape of the tetrimino is comparable to social identity markers such as race, gender, age, and class, which largely determine a person’s social standing and political interest, all incredibly important factors in community …show more content…
Sure, a movement may end, a campaign may reach its goal, and an organization can disband. But those individuals are inextricably linked by the collective interest they shared. They are linked by the chants they have yelled, or the petitions they have signed, by the funny stories they share, by the tears and the laughter and the anger and the joy-- and, ultimately, by that shared fire in their bones that yearns for a better future. Nevertheless, each individual remains just that; an individual, occupying a different space, a different name, a different identity, all with different skills and opinions to
Tetris is recognized as a game of skill and speed. As simple of a game as it is, playing well requires strategic thinking, deduction, and a sense of where everything fits together. The undeniable logic of Tetris is well-recognized.
Yet, …show more content…
In collective action, however, each part is a person. While humans are certainly much more complex than blocks on a computer screen, tetriminos and individuals are surprisingly comparable. Each individual takes up a different space in society, fitting into different social roles. Likewise, each tetrimino fits into a different crevice because of its shape. Yet, like humans, tetriminos are all fundamentally the same; they are all made up of four blocks, pieced together in different ways. What,then, differentiates the tetriminos? Their shape, be it O, I, T, L, J, S, or Z. Their shape is the sole factor that determines what space they can occupy within the matrix. In this way, the shape of the tetrimino is comparable to social identity markers such as race, gender, age, and class, which largely determine a person’s social standing and political interest, all incredibly important factors in community …show more content…
Sure, a movement may end, a campaign may reach its goal, and an organization can disband. But those individuals are inextricably linked by the collective interest they shared. They are linked by the chants they have yelled, or the petitions they have signed, by the funny stories they share, by the tears and the laughter and the anger and the joy-- and, ultimately, by that shared fire in their bones that yearns for a better future. Nevertheless, each individual remains just that; an individual, occupying a different space, a different name, a different identity, all with different skills and opinions to