:Michael Artiaga
{{Short description|American Tetris player (born 2007)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox Pro Gaming player
| ID = dogplayingTetris
| image = Michael Artiaga 2023 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Artiaga at the 2023 Heart of Texas Regional
| name = Michael Artiaga
| birth_name = Michael Khanh Artiaga
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2007|11|20|mf=yes}}
| games = Classic Tetris
| career_start = 2018
| highlights =
- 2× CTWC champion (2020, 2021)
- CTWC runner-up (2024)
- First person to achieve "rebirth" (2024)
- Tetris high score record (2024)
}}
Michael Khanh Artiaga (born November 20, 2007), known online as dogplayingtetris or simply Dog, is an American Tetris player from Texas. He is best known for back-to-back victories in the 2020 and 2021 Classic Tetris World Championships (CTWC), the former of which led him to set the Guinness World Record for the "Youngest Tetris World Champion" at 13 years old.
From a young age, Michael and his brother Andrew Artiaga experimented in coding, computing, and gaming, alongside their father, who was a web developer. Practicing classic NES Tetris occasionally on their Game Boy, both brothers were inspired to pursue the game further after seeing 16-year-old Joseph Saelee's victory against the 37-year-old reigning champion Jonas Neubauer in the 2018 CTWC, marking the beginning of a new generation of Tetris players to the competitive scene. After his victories in the 2020 and 2021 CTWCs, Artiaga has continued to compete in Tetris tournaments, and has started his own titled "Classic Tetris Brawl" (CTB). On October 6, 2024, Artiaga became the first player to achieve a "rebirth" of the game after successfully clearing the highest level of the game, level 255, triggering the game to restart back on level 0. The same game saw Artiaga also break the high score record at 29.4 million points.
Personal life and upbringing
Michael Khanh Artiaga was born on November 20, 2007,{{cite web |title=Youngest Tetris World Champion |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/545457-youngest-tetris-world-champion |publisher=Guinness World Records |year=2021 |access-date=January 22, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124083214/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/545457-youngest-tetris-world-champion |url-status=live}}{{cite book |title=Guinness World Records 2023 |date=September 15, 2022 |publisher=Ravensburger |location=Ravensburg |isbn=978-3473480555 |page=105 |edition=Deutsche Ausgabe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6SmFEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |access-date=January 18, 2024 |language=de |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322061516/https://books.google.com/books?id=6SmFEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}} to Van and Randall Artiaga, and is from Fort Worth, Texas.{{cite web |last1=Schonbrun |first1=Zach |title=A New Generation Stacks Up Championships in an Old Game: Tetris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/sports/tetris-game.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 28, 2021 |access-date=January 17, 2024 |url-access=limited |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117023131/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/sports/tetris-game.html |url-status=live}} He and his brother Andrew Artiaga grew up around electronics, as their father was a web developer.{{cite interview |last=Artiaga |first=Michael |interviewer=Linton, Deborah |title=Experience: I'm the best Tetris player in the world |work=The Guardian |date=November 5, 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/05/experience-im-the-best-tetris-player-in-the-world |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119084955/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/05/experience-im-the-best-tetris-player-in-the-world |url-status=live}} At 5 years old, Artiaga learned basic coding, and further experimented in computing and gaming in elementary school. Artiaga and his brother practiced the skills they learned by creating characters and music for several of his father's gaming apps. Artiaga stated in an interview with The Guardian that his school work takes precedence over his gaming, and that math was his favorite subject. Outside of Tetris, Artiaga has also practiced speedrunning other retro games, including Super Mario Bros.{{cite web |title=dogplayingtetris |url=https://kids.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/young-achievers/michael-artiaga |publisher=Guinness World Records |year=2021 |access-date=January 22, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124081710/https://kids.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/young-achievers/michael-artiaga |url-status=live}}
''Tetris'' career
Artiaga was introduced to classic NES Tetris at 8 years old in elementary school, after playing it on the original Game Boy at home. He collaborated with his brother on their shortcomings while they practiced the game to better their playing. He was originally attracted to the game's need for quick-thinking, speed, and skill. Michael and Andrew, at 10 and 13 years old, respectively, began to play more intently after watching 16-year-old Joseph Saelee's victory against the 37-year-old reigning champion Jonas Neubauer in the 2018 Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), marking the beginning of a new generation of Tetris players to the competitive scene.{{cite magazine |last1=Sweet |first1=Jacob |title=The Revolution In Classic Tetris |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-revolution-in-classic-tetris |magazine=The New Yorker |date=March 26, 2021 |access-date=January 19, 2024 |url-access=limited |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117033123/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-revolution-in-classic-tetris |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Karnadi |first1=Chris |title=Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris |url=https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |publisher=Polygon |date=July 21, 2022 |access-date=January 20, 2024 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115233118/https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |url-status=live}} After purchasing twin famiclones, Michael began to compete in tournaments under the name "dogplayingtetris" or simply "Dog", in reference to his avatar being a dog holding a Nintendo controller, while his brother took the nickname "P1xelAndy". In November 2019, Artiaga created his own Tetris tournament called "Classic Tetris Brawl" (CTB), which is made up of a number of events including three-player matches, level 0 to 19 speedruns, and a quarterly "Brawl Championship". In December 2019, Artiaga became the youngest person to complete a "maxout", a point in the game where the score becomes so high it no longer registers correctly on-screen.{{cite web |title=Tetris Champion: Winners of the Classic Tetris World Championship |url=https://tetrisinterest.com/tetris-champion/ |publisher=Tetris Interest |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019082936/https://tetrisinterest.com/tetris-champion/ |url-status=live}}
{{Quote box |quote="The key to success is watching how others play and learning what it is that makes them better than you." |author=Michael Artiaga |source=in an interview with The Guardian after winning the 2020 CTWC. |width=25% |align=right |quoted=yes}}
During the COVID-19 lockdowns in the United States, both brothers began to practice more often while also learning from their competitors on Twitch. At 13 and 15 years old respectively, both Michael and Andrew qualified for the 2020 CTWC; Michael scored 1 million points in six games, making him the top seed in his double-elimination playoffs group.{{cite web |last1=Tate |first1=Dylan |title=13-year-old defeats brother to win Classic Tetris World Championship |url=https://upcomer.com/13-year-old-defeats-brother-to-win-classic-tetris-world-championship |website=upcomer.com |publisher=Enthusiast Gaming |date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124081710/https://upcomer.com/13-year-old-defeats-brother-to-win-classic-tetris-world-championship |url-status=live}} Michael was the second-youngest competitor there, and the youngest to make it to the top eight.{{cite web |last1=Shaver |first1=Morgan |title=Classic Tetris World Championship Ends In Brother Versus Brother Showdown |url=https://primagames.com/news/classic-tetris-world-championship-ends-brother-versus-brother-showdown |publisher=Prima Games |date=December 7, 2020 |access-date=January 21, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124081710/https://primagames.com/news/classic-tetris-world-championship-ends-brother-versus-brother-showdown |url-status=live}} After beating fellow competitor Jacob Huff (known online as "Huffulufugus"), Michael made it to the final round with his brother Andrew, where they competed against each other at home due to COVID-19 restrictions. Michael won shortly after reaching level 29, winning $3,000, which he used to buy a real Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a Donner guitar, an electric drum set, and invest in cryptocurrency. Andrew celebrated the victory with Michael, giving him a high five immediately after the match; Michael remarked that the "great [thing] about being in the top two is that we both get great trophies". At 13 years and 16 days old, Artiaga set a Guinness World Record for the "Youngest Tetris World Champion".
After his 2020 CTWC victory, Artiaga remarked that, while he would "always go down as a 13-year-old world champion", he was motivated to win again at the next championship. Continued playing helped him secure a back-to-back win in the also virtual CTWC 2021, where he beat 19-year-old Jacob Huff 3–1 to secure another $3,000 prize.{{cite web |last1=Jensen |first1=K. Thor |title=Beyond Dropping Blocks: Inside the Wild World of Pro Tetris |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/beyond-dropping-blocks-inside-the-wild-world-of-pro-tetris |publisher=PCMag |date=February 11, 2022 |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124081709/https://www.pcmag.com/news/beyond-dropping-blocks-inside-the-wild-world-of-pro-tetris |url-status=live}} His back-to-back win also placed Artiaga in the 2023 edition of the Scholastic Book of World Records.{{cite book |title=Scholastic Book of World Records 2023 |date=December 6, 2022 |publisher=Scholastic Corporation |isbn=978-1338845129 |page=86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVpUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT87 |access-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322061516/https://books.google.com/books?id=oVpUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT87#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}} On April 9, 2022, Artiaga set another world record for the highest scoring game on a level 29 start with a score of 2.2 million.{{cite web |last1=Trew |first1=James |title=How Gen Z is pushing NES Tetris to its limits |url=https://www.engadget.com/teens-tetris-and-rolling-130002013.html |publisher=Engadget |date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118231634/https://www.engadget.com/teens-tetris-and-rolling-130002013.html |url-status=live}} From June 8–9, Artiaga competed in the 2024 CTWC, where he lost to Alex Thach (known online as "Alex T") in the finals, having him place second in the championship.{{cite AV media |date=June 8, 2024 |title=Classic Tetris World Championship XV – Day 2 Tournament Begins! |publisher=Classic Tetris World Championship |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mluTYQ8G4B4 |access-date=June 12, 2024}}{{cite AV media |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Classic Tetris World Championship XV – Day 3 Finals |publisher=Classic Tetris World Championship |type=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jeaamhqfG8 |access-date=June 12, 2024}}
On October 6, 2024, Artiaga became the first person to achieve a "rebirth" of the game after successfully clearing the highest level of the game, level 255, triggering the game to restart back on level 0.{{cite web |last1=McMahon |first1=Liv |title=Teenager claims first ever Tetris 'rebirth' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70wnrg678lo |work=BBC |date=October 8, 2024 |access-date=October 11, 2024}} After achieving rebirth, Artiaga continued to play the game from level 0 to level 91,{{cite web |last1=Serin |first1=Kaan |title=35 years after the iconic puzzler's release, someone has finally beat NES Tetris' 255 levels and achieved 'Rebirth' |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/puzzle/35-years-after-the-iconic-puzzlers-release-someone-has-finally-beat-nes-tetris-255-levels-and-achieved-rebirth/ |work=GamesRadar+ |date=October 6, 2024 |access-date=October 11, 2024}} where he finally ended the game with a final time of 121 minutes, a final score of 29,486,164 points, 346 levels reached, and about 3,300 lines cleared.{{cite web |last1=Bailey |first1=Kat |title=Teen Becomes First Tetris NES Player to Clear Level 255 and Achieve the Mythical 'Rebirth' |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/teen-becomes-first-tetris-nes-player-to-clear-level-255-and-achieve-the-mythical-rebirth |work=IGN |date=October 7, 2024 |access-date=October 11, 2024}} The final score of 29.4 million points beat the previous high score record set by Alex Thach by more than 12 million points. The high level reached also had Artiaga achieve the first "line count overflow" in the game, which began at level 30 after the rebirth or level 285.{{cite web |last1=Harper |first1=Christopher |title=First-ever killscreen-less "Rebirth" achieved in NES version of Tetris, 38 years later |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/nintendo/first-ever-killscreen-less-rebirth-achieved-in-nes-version-of-tetris-38-years-later |work=Tom's Hardware |date=October 9, 2024 |access-date=October 11, 2024}} Artiaga, who had live streamed the game on Twitch, celebrated by putting his hands on his head and exclaiming "Am I dreaming, bro?" and "I'm so glad that game is over". The achievement, which had only previously been possible through the use of AI scripts, was completed by using a modified version of the game which prevents the game from crashing after opportunities begin at level 155.
= Playing style =
{{Quote box |quote="A lot of people try to play it safe, but not Dog. He can be super high in his stack but he's still stacking up. He's waiting for the long bar. And when he does that, he can score so much you just can't keep up." |author=Andrew Artiaga |source=in an interview with The New York Times about his brother's playing style in classic Tetris. |width=25% |align=right |quoted=yes}}
Early in his Tetris career, Artiaga adopted hypertapping,{{cite AV media |date=December 18, 2020 |title=2020 Classic Tetris World Championship Grand Final! |type=YouTube video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtLQOIwdjX4 |access-date=January 24, 2024 |time=0:48 |publisher=Classic Tetris |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124032423/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtLQOIwdjX4 |url-status=live}} a playing technique which emphasizes vibrating the buttons rapidly over pressing them; a technique first popularized by Saelee in his winning 2018 CTWC tournament.{{cite web |last1=Pape |first1=Sam |title=The Portland Retro Gaming Expo—And Its Tetris Competition—Returns |url=https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2022/10/portland-retro-gaming-expo-world-tetris-championship-2022 |publisher=Portland Monthly |date=October 7, 2022 |access-date=January 21, 2024 |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124081709/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2022/10/portland-retro-gaming-expo-world-tetris-championship-2022 |url-status=live}} His success with the technique led his brother to adopt it to keep up with him before the 2020 CTWC.
Unlike the majority of his competitors, Artiaga continued to utilize hypertapping as late as during the 2021 CTWC; his handling of the controller in that competition was referred to by The New York Times as one "with the breeziness of a cocktail pianist". This was opposed to rolling, a new technique created by fellow Tetris player Christopher Martinez (known online as "Cheez") before the 2020 CTWC, which involves rolling the back of the controller with all five fingers to position the game pieces more quickly. To prepare for competitions, Artiaga typically plays for about 45 minutes to warm-up.
Competitive record
Below is a table of the Tetris tournaments Artiaga participated in and their outcome. It should be noted the table is likely incomplete, as results on the CTM website prior to February 2022 only list the name of a competitor if they won or were the runner-up, not including the names of those who competed otherwise.
| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Tournament !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Finishing place !scope="col" align="center" class=unsortable |{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| rowspan="2"|2020
| CTM December Masters Event | align="center"|4–0 | rowspan="6" {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|7–0 | align="center"|{{cite web |title=Results |url=https://thectwc.com/results/ |publisher=Classic Tetris World Championship |access-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210004618/https://thectwc.com/results/ |url-status=live}} |
| rowspan="4"|2021
| CTM February Masters Event | align="center"|4–0 |
| CTM June Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 |
| CTM July Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|7–0 |
| rowspan="11"|2022
| CTM February Masters Event | align="center"|1–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM March Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM April Masters Event
| align="center"|4–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM May Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="2" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM June Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM July Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM August Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 | rowspan="2" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM September Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM November Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM December Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=4th}} |
| rowspan="10"|2023
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|0–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM February Masters Event
| align="center"|3–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM March Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 | rowspan="3" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM Mega Masters
| align="center"|4–1 |
| CTM May Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM Lone Star Championship
| align="center"|6–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM August Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM September Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=4th}} |
| CTM December Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 | rowspan="5" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| rowspan="17"|2024
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|1–1 |
| CTWC Heart of Texas
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM February Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 |
| CTM Mega Masters
| align="center"|3–1 |
| CTM April Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM May Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 | {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| Classic Tetris World Championship
| align="center"|4–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM July Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 | rowspan="3" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM July DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM August Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM August DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| CTM September Masters Event
| align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM September DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 | rowspan="4" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| The Jonas Cup
| align="center"|2–1 |
| CTM October Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 |
| CTM October DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM November Masters Event
| align="center"|4–0 | {{won|style=font-weight:bold|place=1st}} |
| rowspan="5"|2025
| CTM January Masters Event | align="center"|3–1 | {{won|place=2nd}} |
| CTM January DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|1–1 | rowspan="3" {{CFinalist|Contender}} |
| CTM February Masters Event
| align="center"|2–1 |
| CTM February DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|0–1 |
| CTM March DAS Masters Event
| align="center"|N/A | {{scheduled}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Portal bar|Gaming|United States}}
{{Tetris}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artiaga, Michael}}
Category:American gaming YouTubers