From retro TV screens to Dubai skies: Turkish teen writes Tetris history

Four decades after a simple game was developed on an Eletronika 60 Soviet computer, the iconic puzzle, Tetris, lit up the skies of Dubai.

Nineteen-year-old Fehmi Atalar from Türkiye won the first-ever Red Bull Tetris World Championship held this month, as every move he made was displayed by drones flying above the cityscape.

The December 11-13 tournament brought together top players from 60 countries, creating a rare international gathering for one of the world’s most enduring video games.

The final unfolded on the facade of the Dubai Frame, where more than 2,000 synchronised drones formed a massive playable screen, transforming the landmark into an esports arena. The championship followed months of online qualifiers that included more than seven million matches and national finals across six continents.

At the centre of the spectacle stood Atalar, a computer engineering student from Türkiye, who advanced to the Grand Final alongside Peru’s Leo Solorzano. The decisive match lasted just 10 minutes.

Atalar posted a score of 168,566, more than double his opponent’s target, securing the first-ever global title in one of the most technologically ambitious settings competitive gaming has seen.

Speaking to Anadolu, Atalar said he found his opponent a bit nervous and making some bad choices.

"But that doesn't mean he's a bad player. He is a good player" but nerves got the better of him, he said. In comparison, “I was very, very chill and played better than him.”

From old television screen to drone display

While the final relied on cutting-edge technology, Atalar’s connection to the game began years earlier, shaped by a far simpler setting.

Tetris, first released in 1984, has sold more than 520 million copies worldwide, ranking among the best-selling video games of all time, according to industry estimates.

That legacy reached Atalar through his family.

He started playing Tetris in 2019, and the inspiration came from his aunt. “When I was a kid, like six or seven years old, I was watching my aunt playing Tetris on CRT television and I got inspired,” he said.

That early exposure stayed with him. Years later, he began playing online and gradually moved into competitive play.

Despite the dramatic scale of the Dubai final, Atalar said the transition from an old television screen to a drone-lit display was not as challenging as it appeared.

“It has the same mechanics,” he said. “And that helped me a lot playing on the drones. I think that particular day that won me the world championship.”

Calmness, speed and decisions

Atalar said success at the top level depends on more than just reflexes. He described Tetris as a game that demands speed, composure and constant decision-making under pressure.

“There are multiple aspects of it, one of them is me being chill about it, and another one is my speed. And my decision-making is also one of them,” he said.

Watching his opponent struggle with nerves reinforced that view, he added, stressing that mistakes often come from pressure rather than a lack of skill.

Beyond Tetris, Atalar believes those skills translate to other competitive games, particularly those requiring fast reactions and situational awareness.

“Tetris gameplay, especially the classic one, is known by fast decision-making,” he said. “In every other FPS games, it might help you with the reflexes and the decision-making.”

Despite the global stage in Dubai, Atalar described competitive Tetris as a niche within esports, with room to grow if structured carefully.

“This is a niche community, if done correctly, this can be a good esport in maybe three years,” he said.

He said the title also gave him a chance to show audiences in Türkiye that competitive Tetris exists. “I am very happy that I did my job thoroughly.”