It’s here. One of the most popular games in the world topping charts with more than 40 million daily users.
It’s the greatest phenomenon to strike planet Earth since the invention of the wheel. It’s not the printing press, lightbulb or first internet cat video. (Although that’s a close second).
It’s Block Blast, the app store’s top puzzle game featuring drag and drop technology, colorful blocks, flashy animations, and a score that just keeps climbing with every cleared row and column.
Move aside Sudoku and Scrabble. Make way for the new kid on the block.
For anyone confused about what’s going on and rethinking living under a rock, prepare to be educated. Block Blast is a game where the player drags differently shaped blocks onto a grid in order to create and clear full rows and columns. As the player successfully fills and empties the grid, they receive points and a score that grows until there is no more space in the grid and the game ends.
A valid question to be wondering considering the game’s not-so-difficult objective is how it became so popular and why is it so special?
Cal High sophomore Linnea Black, a non-Block Blast player, believes the game’s popularity comes from it being trendy and primarily easy.
“You can mindlessly do it,” Black said. “I guess it’s just satisfying to be able to complete something without having to use a lot of brain power.”
Clearly, the 200 million downloads of the game come from people who must appreciate a good brain break. But what about the hardcore players, the ones who were there before it was cool?
From the depths of the Block Blast fandom emerges a true champion, freshman Milos Jovanovic, a Block Blast ride or die who has been playing the game since summer of 2024.
He attributes the game’s success to its accessibility and addictiveness.
“It doesn’t require internet or anything,” Jovanovic said. “And I guess I’m good at it.”
But what does it mean to be good at Block Blast? Is it about the sheer number of blocks placed? The rows and columns conquered? Or is it all about that ever-climbing score?
It didn’t take long for me to figure it out because just a few steps around school and a peek over some people’s shoulders alowed me to determine the key factor. That pesky growing number, otherwise known as the high score, is the one thing keeping students locked in and their eyes glued to their screens.
Freshman Marva Habibova admits to being controlled by this unseen force.
“Trying to get a better high score than my friend is an appealing part of the game,” Habibova said.
The only logical next question is what’s your high score?
“It’s 55,000,” Habibova said. “ Actually I changed my mind, it’s 80,000.”
Although those numbers may seem huge and even outlandish to some, Block Blast score averages are measly compared to the 50,000-200,000 point averages in Tetris.
What’s that? Oh, nothing much, just the game that Block Blast copied and remade to challenge two year olds that are learning their shapes.
Some students have never even heard of Tetris, while others have only heard about it through the ancient digital grapevine (aka their parents or grandparents).
“Tetris? Yeah, I’ve played it on my grandfather’s phone,” Jovanovic said with a straight face.
It’s a funny deadpan, but still a matter-of-fact statement that speaks volumes about how times have changed in the world of puzzle games.
While Tetris veterans might scoff at Block Blast’s drag-and-drop mechanics (no gravity required!), its undeniable popularity proves it’s hitting the right notes with today’s players.
Maybe it’s not about replacing the classics but offering a fresh take on a beloved formula.This idea of history repeating itself isn’t lost on AP U.S. History teacher Jackson Collins.
“I think it’s hilarious that like every 30 years or so, our society repeats the same things that we’re interested in,” Collins said. “Everyone was like, oh, [Tetris] is the greatest thing ever, and then it kind of fell off.”
The rise and fall of games is nothing new for high school students who’ve seen fads like Wordscapes and the watermelon game come and go, with only a few players sticking around for the long haul. Junior Naomi Parsons, who doesn’t play Block Blast, predicts the game will follow the same path.
“I think within a few months, it’s probably not going to be as popular,” Parsons said. “I’m sure the second we hit summer, nobody’s going to keep playing it.”
Jovanovic agrees despite being completely obsessed with it.
“Everything is going to pass eventually, I guess,” Jovanovic said with a solemn sigh.
While this magnificent creation may just come and go, Collins is assured that something else will rise to take its place.
“If it’s not Block Blast, it’s gonna be something else,” Collins said. “Block Blast is just another manifestation of our instant gratification culture.”
With that optimistic outlook, students can only wait for the next big trend, the next easy game with addictive high scores, and another creative genius – hopefully with a better name than Hungry Studios! – to take center stage and unveil what’s next.
