Anchorwoman Who Belittled 13-Year-Old That Beat Tetris Flamed on Twitter

A Sky News anchor faces a wave of criticism on Twitter after her dismissive comments towards 13-year-old Tetris prodigy Willis Gibson. Gibson, known online as “Blue Scuti,” recently made headlines for achieving a historic feat: reaching the “kill screen” in Tetris, a decades-old game considered nearly impossible to “beat.” She decided that it’d be nice to belittle that accomplishment on air.

Following a report on Gibson’s accomplishment, the anchor, instead of offering congratulations, remarked on-air, “Beating Tetris is not a life goal,” after suggesting he “step away from the screen” and “go outside.” This offhand comment, seemingly aimed at downplaying Gibson’s achievement, quickly ignited outrage on social media.

Before I step into it, we won’t give the reporter’s Twitter handle or name because many readers will attack the news anchor. We want to report the news to show that gaming is still treated like a toy rather than as an industry that earns more than double the movies and music industries combined.

Gamers and gaming industry figures were among the first to express their disapproval. Bhavina Bharkhada, Head of Communications at UKIE, the UK’s games industry trade body, pointed out the potential double standard, stating that if Gibson were a “chess champion, we would all be celebrating.” Others, like Rare’s Becky Frost, took a more direct approach, calling the anchor’s remarks “small-minded, smug & horrible.”

The criticism wasn’t limited to the gaming community. Imogen Calypso Mellor, junior campaign manager at YRS TRULY, called the anchor’s behavior “embarrassing,” highlighting how dismissive her comments were towards a young person’s remarkable accomplishment. I’d have to agree. This is a 13-year-old who did something no one else has; why immediately make it seem trivial?

Many users pointed out the dedication and skill required to reach Gibson’s level in Tetris, emphasizing the value of pursuing one’s passions with determination. The video of Gibson beating Tetris is above (Thanks, Eurogamer), while the tweeted Sky News report is below.

While Sky News has yet to respond to the online backlash publicly, the incident has sparked a wider discussion about the importance of recognizing and celebrating achievements, regardless of their nature. This also raises the question of why video games aren’t treated more seriously when they have quickly become just as culturally relevant as television, music, and movies. 

Nowadays, it doesn’t matter what you do; you can make a good deal of money from anything. Tony Hawk became a millionaire by skateboarding (Thanks to a video game series called Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater), Nickmercs became a multi-millionaire through streaming video games, and there are plenty of other people who make a good living making comics and other jobs that some people find trivial. Imagine if we had listened to people saying we’d never make money from playing video games.

It’s better to do what you love and make that work than to let someone else tell you what you’re doing isn’t a lifetime achievement. Since the reporter was “speaking as a mother,” I’ll speak as a father and say great job, Gibson, congratulations.