Order in Randomness

It appears that the Tetris pieces that visit the player are in random order. This is correct; the pieces do not go in any specific order; they are dealt to the player as if they were cards in a poker game. However, in poker there is a limited number of cards in each deck, while the pieces dealt in Tetris are from a seemingly limitless stock of pieces -- they will never cease to visit until the game has ended.

Predetermined Visitors

However, with recent updates in technology we can take a closer look at the random mechanism in Tetris. Using a Nintendo Entertainment System emulator on a home computer, we can make a proper analysis. Emulation software allows us to take a "freeze" -- saving the temporary RAM data -- at any point in the game. What this means is that we can pause the game in a way never before possible. Quite often, and in many derivatives of Tetris, you are able to pause the game. However, these game freezes allow us to pause the game and take multiple, different "unpauses." Bear with me here...

For example, we start a Tetris game. The first block is a Middle Finger piece; the "Next" space shows that the next visitor is a Z-Piece. At this point, quite early on in the game, we make a freeze of the game. The next pieces are, in order: Cock Piece, Z-Piece, Cock Piece, S-Piece, S-Piece, Reverse L-Piece, Z-Piece, Middle Finger Piece, Z-Piece, L-Piece, an Ass Block, etc.

Next we "defrost" our saved state. This would be the same as returning us back in time to the beginning of the game. Our next pieces turn out to be, in order: Cock Piece, Z-Piece, Cock Piece, S-Piece, S-Piece, Reverse L-Piece, Z-Piece, Middle Finger Piece, Z-Piece, L-Piece, an Ass Block, etc.

We got the exact same pieces, even though in both games the player had done different placements! What we discover is that the Tetris pieces that visit the player are not randomly chosen right before the next piece arrives -- they are all chosen at the very beginning of the game. Every piece has already been chosen for you. The blocks have their own sense of predestination, as they have all been determined before you have even made your first game.

Two-Player Application

The same applies to a Two-Player game, except that both opponents -- if the derivative of Tetris is official and true -- receive the same pieces in the same order. This makes sense, as it is a true battle of skill since both players are dealt the same hand.

Predetermined Game

Again, your pieces have already been determined at the first moment the game begins. Many Tetris players view this is a sign of a sort of spirituality in their Tetris game: not only are the pieces determined instantly as the game begins, but every move you make and choice you choose is determined at this very instant. This is the "Birth of Life" moment, when in an instant the entire game has already been laid out. Of course, the moves and choices that have already been laid out to occur all depend on the player's particular Tetris intellect and playing style.

Outside Interference

We can apply this aspect of the blocks' predetermination -- and therefore your moves' predetermination -- to all aspects of the game. Once a certain player develops a particular playing style, that player will be even more likely to make the same choice given the same particular circumstances. However, there are many aspects that hinder this: outside interference. Stress, of course as well as aural and visual distractions, can hinder what choices would normally have been made. Unfortunately this only works in a negative way, and it is what stops many Tetris players from reaching the limits they normally would be able to reach.

This stress-distraction factor is also a reason that many professional Tetris competitors have their own routine of breathing and/or meditation before their matches.