Recently, a new game has taken the highlines of the app store. Block Blast is a new puzzle game that has had over 100 million downloads. Ranking #1 in the category of puzzle games, this simple yet addictive game entails fitting different shaped blocks in a horizontal or vertical line to clear it.
Block Blast has grasped both the online world and our own community at BSGE. Many students play this game and compare high scores and gameplay. However, many students ask why this attention has been given? This game requires strategy, skill, and patience to succeed, and doesn’t have a distinct way of “winning.” Is it the natural competitiveness of students to see who is better at the game? Or maybe just a way to pass time?
Other similar games have ranked high in BSGE before. Last year, Fruit Merge was incredibly popular among students, a game which provides a small space to combine fruits until they reach the largest size and disappear. An eleventh grader at BSGE who played Fruit Merge last year says “it was a fun game that kept students distracted and entertained.” When asked about competition, she replied “some students bragged at being able to make more watermelons, but I mostly think people just liked to watch others play the game and just enjoy their time.”
However, she had a different answer for competitiveness in the game Block Blast, saying “Block Blast requires a bit more thinking and strategy so there’s something to brag about.” She noticed many “students comparing high scores and seeing who can get to a higher one within a time constraint.” Last year’s craze, Fruit Merge, seems to have been solely for enjoyment, while Block Blast is for entertainment and competition. It looks as if that competition has brought more attention to it.
Although it’s popularity is booming, some people think it’s not worth it. When asked whether they thought Block Blast was worth its attention, a tenth grader explained they found it “boring to sit there and match up blocks. If you’re good at it, the game never ends. I’d rather watch videos with entertaining action.” An eighth grader with an opposite opinion said “Block Blast is worth the attention because it’s an alternative to social media when you’re bored. It’s calming and doesn’t have any negative effects that social media has. Instead of making your brain speed up, it allows it to think the game through and actually process what you do.”
Block Blast’s popularity among the student population appears to depend on whether they value quick entertainment over slow strategy. One seventh grader said “I like playing block blast for neither improving strategy or entertainment, I prefer to just let other people know my high score.” When asked for his high score, he eagerly replied “112,340.” How long did it take him to reach that high score? That question raised another, what were students screen times before downloading Block Blast compared to now?
One ninth grader’s screen time “is about two to three hours and Block Blast makes up about an hour or an hour and a half. It’s mostly because I lose internet on long train rides and end up passing time with it.”
Overall, whether Block Blast is a game played either in boredom or as a hobby, for competition or enjoyment, it has an undeniably large influence on the internet and students at BSGE. At least it’s a healthier alternative to social media for your mental wellness.
