News anchor slammed for telling 13-year-old Tetris master to “go outside”

Jacob Hale
sky news presenter jayne secker next to image of Tetris master Blue Scuti

A news anchor has come under fire for comments made about a 13-year-old boy who achieved something long considered unattainable, after he literally completed Tetris.

Tetris is a game that has been around for decades, and while millions of players have attempted to get higher scores than their peers, there are very few who can say that they actually beat the game.

That was until January 2024, when 13-year-old Willis ‘Blue Scuti’ Gibson made headlines for breaking several NES Tetris records and managing to “beat” the game for the first time ever.

Playing until the game crashed, Gibson grinded through rows of blocks to near-perfection, with the “kill screen” crash being the ending of the game, a sign that he had, for lack of a better term, beat the game.

This is something many players have tried and failed to do, an almost impossible feat that requires the utmost concentration and perfect Tetris play to achieve — but that wasn’t enough to impress Sky News presenter Jayne Secker, who didn’t hide her feelings on the matter.

Sky News presenter tells Tetris player to “go outside”

“Tetris has long been touted as a video game that just can’t be beaten, because it just goes on and on” Secker started. “Well, 13–year-old American Willis Gibson has technically proven that wrong. He beat the original Nintendo version of the game by reaching such a high level that the coding froze, and left the programme unable to generate any more falling blocks.”

Secker was quick to add on some advice “as a mother” though, saying: “Step away from the screen. Go outside. Get some fresh air. Beating Tetris is not a life goal.”

Many online have called out the anchor for her “smugness” and “embarrassing” comments, praising Gibson for his unique achievement.

Squidapple said: “Literally history was made, by a kid no less, and she throws that stupid ass comment in there, just embarrassing, would slot right in with 80’s reporters talking about ‘Those Nintendo’s’.”

Another user, obkatiekat, called her “condescending.”

Others questioned why she wouldn’t believe this to be an achievement, especially considering how long the game has been around and the fact that nobody else had done it.

Needless to say, Gibson shouldn’t let these kinds of comments overshadow his achievement, and we’ve no doubt he will be hopping on Tetris once again to try to beat it even faster.

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About The Author

Jacob is Dexerto’s UK Editor and Call of Duty esports specialist. With a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing, he previously worked as an Editor at Ginx TV. Jacob was nominated for Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Esports Awards. Contact: jacob.hale@dexerto.com.