Americans all over the country mourned the loss of their beloved social media app, TikTok, for a grand total of twelve hours. While tears were being shed, protests made and last-minute pledges to the communist party to join RedNote occurred, people were also desperately searching for the next digital distraction to replace their endless scrolling. This came in the form of the newest brain rot app: Block Blast.
Although TikTok was not gone for long, the popularity of Block Blast has clearly risen with students frequently seen playing it between classes, during commutes or while procrastinating on homework. Block Blast is very similar to the older game, Tetris, and players engage with the game by arranging uniquely shaped 2D blocks within an 8×8 grid, aiming to clear as many full rows of eight as possible. The game continues until no more randomly generated blocks can be placed, at which point it ends. Each cleared row earns points, encouraging players to beat their previous high scores. Its simplicity makes it accessible to anyone, regardless of how good you are with technology, allowing for easy and addicting play.
Like TikTok, Block Blast taps into our brain’s craving for quick rewards. The thrill of clearing rows and chasing high scores mirrors the dopamine rush of scrolling through an endless feed of viral videos. What starts as a quick game between classes quickly turns into a 30-minute session of “just one more round.” There is also just something so stress-relieving about turning off your brain for a bit and mindlessly swiping colored blocks around your screen.
Personally— I get it. I know firsthand how addicting your phone can be, with its myriads of social media, shows and fun little games to play. However, I can’t tell which is worse, Tiktok or Block Blast. For one, pushing blocks around on your phone is simply a waste of time and as bad as doom scrolling is, it’s much less mentally stimulating. On the other hand, TikTok, while it can be informative and helpful, is simply just too addictive and has a chokehold over our generation.
Either way, my best recommendation to free yourself from the hold your phone has over you is to just go cold turkey. Yes, quitting cold turkey will be painful at first. But you’d be amazed at how much time you reclaim when you stop filling every empty moment with digital distractions. So next time you find yourself with a little bit of time in between tasks, do yourself a favor and stay off Block Blast.
