Have you ever experienced the 'Tetris Effect'?

For those who are unaware of the phenomenon, read This first.

I get it frequently after playing most puzzle games but more bizarrely after playing Civ V for extended periods of time I can see the hexagonal grid when I close my eyes.

So, does anyone else get this or am I just insane?

No, but t I did have the Pokemon effect.

At the height of my Ikaruga addiction I was seeing enemy ship patterns when I closed my eyes. Haven't been that into a game since though, thankfully. :dread:

Not sure if it's the same thing, but if I play a particular game for a long extended time, I will sometime muddle with real life.

A poor example would be if I played Max Payne and then went and made a cup of tea. If I dropped the cup for a second I might think I can rewind time and save the cup of tea.

Or if I play a game which has time limits, I might then apply time limits to real life for a few seconds until I get a grip

Poorly explained/Hard to explain, I've not shot anyone yet at least.

Not quite like that but if I am playing a puzzle game a lot then I will start to play levels in my head when Im not playing. My brain will show me a setup and Ill solve it in my head, does happen often though and it only occurs with songle screen puzzle games.

I used to get this with Advanced Wars on the GBA.
The medical term is "Advanced Wars syndrome". "The Tetris Effect" is just something you've made up!

I get a similar thing after playing Rock Band for a while, where you'll look at something stationary and it kind of looks like it's moving upwards like the instrument tracks do :shifty:

I sometimes get this, but I find it quite a pleasant experience.

I work in a warehouse, where I have to stack hundreds of boxes onto pallets each day. My job basically is the Tetris effect.

Hexic HD, every night when I closed my eyes, them hexagons.

Albear wrote:Not sure if it's the same thing, but if I play a particular game for a long extended time, I will sometime muddle with real life.

A poor example would be if I played Max Payne and then went and made a cup of tea. If I dropped the cup for a second I might think I can rewind time and save the cup of tea.

Or if I play a game which has time limits, I might then apply time limits to real life for a few seconds until I get a grip

Poorly explained/Hard to explain, I've not shot anyone yet at least.

I can relate to that. When I go to a stadium to watch a live football match I often find myself waiting for the replay after an incident. But it never comes as I'm actually at the match.

As for videogames,I think the Tetris effect applies to most games if you play them for long enough. Try going to sleep with the wipeout effect playing on your eyelids.

Frank wrote:I get a similar thing after playing Rock Band for a while, where you'll look at something stationary and it kind of looks like it's moving upwards like the instrument tracks do

Yep me too with this one, it's really disorientating for a brief period after stopping the game!

Mildly in the past, but I would play hours of Tetris DS/3DS before going to bed.

I'm glad I've managed not to get quite so addicted to Puyo Puyo Tetris.

I get the Lynx Effect.

Basically I spray on some deodorant and women then find me utterly repulsive. :datass:

I got it once after some late night sessions of multiplayer Mean Bean Machine. "I closed my eyes and saw a horrible rainbow of beans" was actually my first sig on old GR...

Moggy wrote:I get the Lynx Effect.

Basically I spray on some deodorant and women then find me utterly repulsive.

ive got you beat there; i dont even need the deodorant! :datass:

Bemani games do it for me

Yes. Tetris is an essential skill that should be taught in schools.

But honestly I experience this with all manner of skills. It's a form of memory.

I form patterns of rhythm out of random sounds and imagine drawing around edges of things I see and how I can project that to paper. Cos I've trained in drawing and jammed for hundreds of hours.

Or maybe it's just autism, I dunno.

I was surprised that the trailer for The Tetris Effect said only about 2/3 of people experienced it. I thought it was just what happened if you were focusing on something for long enough as I get it for a whole bunch of things.

Have you ever experienced the 'Tetris Effect'?

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