Students at CVHS become glued to their phones from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Whether scrolling through social media feeds, texting friends, or even just reading emails, a plethora of beeps, sound effects, and videos fill the halls during lunch. But recently, a new craze has taken the school by storm, and students are now spending their time strategically placing blocks on an eight-by-eight grid.
These students are playing Block Blast. You may download the game on the App Store, Google Play, or unofficial websites. The App Store markets Block Blast as number one in the Free Games category for the charts. With 1.2 million ratings, Block Blast is rated 4.9 out of five stars.
Block Blast, often considered a modern-day Tetris, welcomes players into an adventure where strategic block placement is necessary. Block Blast gives players the ability to freely decide where they will place the blocks, starting with three random blocks. Once they are placed, three new blocks are presented to keep the game going. The goal is clear: maximize points by clearing rows, placing blocks, and gaining a combo streak. The game ends once blocks cannot be placed, but no worries because you still earn points for the remaining blocks on the board.
CVHS junior Reese Brush says, “I like the colors of Block Blast and all of my friends play it.” She discovered the game from the social media app, TikTok, and has been playing nonstop since.
“I enjoy the positive comments the game gives me when I clear a row, and I get excited to see what new blocks I will get next,” Brush said. The game offers words of encouragement such as “Amazing” or showing thumbs-up icons to celebrate players on block placements. With its colorful graphics, Block Blast continues to engage its players.
CVHS teacher Antonio Arredondo says “I gain a sense of satisfaction and achievement when I am able to beat my high score and clear out the board. The game is simple enough to catch on quickly but difficult to master, so I have been trying to beat my record over and over again” further perpetuating the game’s addictive nature. “To master the game, I have been developing combos to gain maximum points,” said Arredondo. When he got his high score, he had a combo of 44. Combos are made after repeatedly clearing rows and these combos can range from two to infinity.
“I got into the game because my students have been playing all year, and now I get the addiction,” Arredondo says.
“I have been able to reach my high score of one hundred thirty-six thousand, two hundred seventy-nine during [my time playing] but my students’ scores are still higher.
Brush follows the mindset that “there is always a way out.” By saying this, she means that every three new blocks, there is a way to strategically place and not run out of space. This technique has allowed her to reach her high score of eighty-three thousand, eight hundred ninety-nine.
When accomplishing this score, Brush said “I locked in and stayed glued to my phone for twenty minutes. My friends helped me get out of tricky situations, and I couldn’t have done it without them.” Block Blast has created a community of players who compete and share tips and games across different social media platforms. The competition with one’s high score as well as friends’ scores helps enhance the game and makes Block Blast more than just a game!
Block Blast has captured the minds of all different types of players and offers strategy and creativity. The game’s addictive nature and pleasing visuals allow it to stand out but still stay relatively simple. Whether you have never played the game or you’re a veteran player, Block Blast allows for never-ending challenges. Downloading it today will allow you to join the many who cannot get enough of this game!
