Basically, the "Tetris Effect" happens when after playing the game for an hour or so, you still have the taunting little images falling through the brainwaves in your head - so you keep playing a mental version of the game. Another way it shows up is when you are at a grocery store and you see some boxes that might fit together better to make a row. I even heard of folks who will gaze at a beautiful downtown skyline, and instead of admiring the glass and steel human achievement, are instead thinking about how the buildings might be turned in a Tetris like fashion for a better position.
The most recent sign of the Tetris Effect showed up on (of course) You Tube. Two wildly popular videos pay tribute to the game in very bizarre ways. The first video is a clip from a Japanese game show where contestants have a huge wall with a blank Tetris shape approaching them at a pretty good pace. The contestants have to get themselves into whatever shape is coming their way to fit through, otherwise they get bashed into a pool of water...or some liquid...ewww.
The other video is a 'human Tetris' that has groups of people in different colored shirts coming down church pews just like the real version of the game. The player rearranges the groups of people so they can make rows and disappear.
Again, cybersickness at it's best.
The video of the church Tetris, though, really got me thinking. I sometimes wonder if God is a Tetris fan? What I mean is - maybe He's looking down at all the folks in church who just come and sit, and He'd love to rearrange them so they could fit together and accomplish something. The reason I think this might be true is because of something I recently read in the Bible about an important part of the Christian life called 'spiritual gifts'. Here's what I read:
God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:
wise counsel
clear understanding
simple trust
healing the sick
miraculous acts
proclamation
distinguishing between spirits
tongues
