Saying I've never really got Tetris sounds absurd, after all it carries with it this aura of having existed forever, being this fundamental timeless entity, but the reality is I simply see no reason to sit down and grind out high scores in games. This isn't the death knell of every arcade game, there's plenty of appeal to many of them simply from getting through all of their levels for the first time and calling that it, but Tetris is a suitably monotone experience that I kind of feel like I've seen what there is to see after 15 minutes of playing and so I move on.

This is a simplification of course, and there is more to see in Tetris; put in enough time investment and you'll start to briefly enter flow states, and so too you end up experiencing the tetris effect as everything just starts naturally clicking and you stop having to think quite so actively. Tetris Effect is the first time I've really understood this; partly because all the different music, visuals and associated vibes to be seen in the game give a good motivation to keep playing beyond the first hour or two, but also because, for me at least, the intense and stunning audio-visual elements are perfect for helping encourage me to slip into those flow states where you so naturally find yourself seamlessly planning a whole move ahead, your fingers effortlessly shoving the pieces where you planned for them to go whilst your eyes scan around figuring out that next move in advance. It's immensely satisfying when all of this just starts to come together.

I'm still not in love with Tetris, and I found myself putting down Tetris Effect for good once I'd completed the hard mode campaign, but I am thankful that I do finally get the appeal now.