Thread by @andrewkimmel

Since the pandemic began, I developed an addiction to Tetris and I don’t know how to stop.

It all started when I downloaded the @Tetris_Official app, where there were nightly challenges to win money. I’d win a dollar some nights, and even up to $20 on rare occasions. You could play *free challenge games against people for practice, but you’d have to watch an ad.

Then they slowly introduced new features, where you’d have to play even more ad-sponsored challenges and accrue points - points that could then be used to enter the once *free challenges to win money. I obliged.

Now of course you could pay $9.99 to get rid of ads, but why waste the money when it’s 15 seconds here, 30 seconds there… but holy shit do those seconds add up. And I’m talking horrible ads, like this one for a game where you can “Experience the happiness to be a cashier.”

The app has since gotten rid of the nightly/monthly prize challenges where users can win money. The new hook was the introduction of daily & weekly challenges, or as they call them, “Goals”. So now I’m an active user, who receives no money, who watches ads to complete my goals.

The gradual transitions and methods these developers took to hook me as a user are fucking genius and equally terrible. There are some nights when I go to bed and can still see Tetris blocks and it feels like I’m actively playing the game. This is not normal.

Anyway, I’ve promised myself that I’m deleting the app when I start a new job in two weeks. But until then, I’m gonna continue to get my fix. Please feel free to leave tips for breaking the addiction or share your shitty mobile gaming stories - I could use both!