LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Tiles of multicolored squares drop onto a square board one after the other. “Amazing!,” “Combo” and “Great!” flash across the screen in quick succession. This addictive game is Block Blast.
Block Blast launched in late 2022, quickly gaining popularity in 2024. Its objective is to make differently-shaped blocks fit into a grid to complete lines and clear the board. The projected score at the top of the screen gets higher and higher as the player fills more tiles.
Much of the inspiration for Block Blast comes from Tetris, where the game design — the appearance of the blocks and layout of the grid — is the same.
In Tetris, there is a time constraint with falling blocks, which creates a different aspect than Block Blast where players can take their time hovering over spaces and deciding where to place blocks.
Players hope they can get perfectly shaped blocks to clear lines and eventually the board. If luck runs out and the game ends, it’s easy to start a new one. This formula can go on for hours.
According to Pocket Gamers, Block Blast has reached over 40 million daily average users. Sometimes it seems like a good portion of this number is made up of Los Alamitos High School students.
In between classes and even during class, students will open the app and tap away.
Mr. Valenzuela, an LAHS engineering teacher, has noticed students playing Block Blast on campus.
“I don’t promote it, but I think it keeps students sharp. I’d rather they play that than other games,” he said.
Block Blast promotes itself as a relaxing mind game to pass the time. Unlike other games, Block Blast isn’t only for a select age group.
Middle schooler Drew Hatakeyama has the app downloaded, which he opens frequently.
“I like it because the further you go, the harder it gets. And it’s not a violent game so my parents can’t complain!” he said.
Riley Johnson, a junior attending a high school in Long Beach, said she downloaded Block Blast before it was popular, then rediscovered the game when everyone around her started playing it.
All in all, Block Blast can be a fun way for people to spend time, but like everything, it’s healthy to manage in moderation. For now, it’s safe to say students won’t stop using it any time soon!
