I remember the day I discovered Tetr.io.
It was after dinner, and I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram when an IG story of a Tetris battle royale match caught my attention.
I’m not usually one to comment on posts, but I found myself replying to that story. Yup, just so I could find out where to play this game. 😅
Ever since Facebook’s Tetris Battle was discontinued, I hadn’t found a good substitute for multiplayer Tetris. Granted, I wasn’t really actively searching for an alternative, but seeing a similar game again brought a wave of nostalgia.
After learning of Tetr.io from the kind soul who replied me, I played a few rounds to satisfy my craving before forgetting about it again.
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Fast forward a few years, this game resurfaced during one of our team’s post-retro chill-out sessions. It was a close match with one of the product managers, but I eventually won! *inserts success kid meme*
The high from winning reminded me of how much I enjoyed the game. So when I contracted COVID shortly after and was stuck at home, I spent the time playing Tetris, even setting a new personal best of 50k* in Blitz mode (where you try to score as many points as possible in 2 minutes).
*I’m just an average player, please don’t judge 😅
Back at the office, my colleague, L, asked about my week away. Upon learning of my achievement, he casually remarked, “I think I can do better.”
And he did!
That night, he sent me a screenshot of his score—just slightly above mine.
Oh. It’s on.
Over the next few weeks, we constantly tried to top each other’s personal bests. The competition pushed us to improve tremendously, but it eventually ended when L admitted defeat once I got to 85k. *inserts happy cat meme*
Once, we also had a friendly match during lunch. The strategy for PvP mode is different from Blitz mode, and I won pretty easily.
L: I like to create very high stacks, then clear them all at once with the I-pieces.
Me: You know, life is like Tetris. Things don’t always fall perfectly into place.
L: Oh, don’t you get all philosophical.
I laughed.
But it got me thinking, that building products is a lot like playing Tetris too.
The analogy
Blank canvas = Start
The game starts with an empty board, just like building a new product from scratch. There’s plenty of freedom to place pieces wherever we please.
Disappearing rows = Invisible design
When well-placed blocks complete a row, they disappear. This is like a well-designed product experience— frictionless and invisible.
Speeding up = Increasing complexity
As the game progresses, it speeds up and misdrops become inevitable. A board with gaps interspersed throughout it is like a messy legacy product, where design and technical debt have accumulated over time. With more constraints, clearing the board becomes more difficult.
Garbage lines = Market pressure
Incoming garbage lines can pile up rapidly, similar to how changing market conditions and competitors can introduce new challenges.
Panic placement VS Strategic play
If we panic and place pieces quickly without a proper downstacking strategy, we’ll end up wth a chaotic board which will require more effort to clear. This is like skipping crucial research and usability tests in the name of moving faster. Teams sometimes opt for quick wins only to realize later that they’ve shipped a bunch of quicksand.
On the flip side, moving too slowly can also be a problem. Validating every single assumption and deliberating for too long may render a product irrelevant by the time it’s launched.
Is there a way to win?
Staying on top of the game
1. Remaining flexible
Tetrominoes are dealt randomly from a queue. When we can’t seem to find a good place to fit an upcoming piece, the Hold function allows us to save it for later. Similarly, adapting product roadmaps to the latest developments is important. When a feature no longer aligns with business objectives or user needs, it’s wise to “hold” and revisit it when the time is right.
2. Taking calculated risks
We don’t always have time for extensive research. Instead, we can focus on the riskiest assumptions, just like setting up a T-spin. Sometimes, creating intentional wells is part of a larger strategy to maximize future gains.
3. Making incremental progress
When we create stacks that are too high while waiting for the perfect piece to come along, a sudden influx of garbage can end the game in an instant. This “overstacking” mirrors accumulating risks in product development.
Instead, we should ship features steadily, clearing lines and delivering value continuously to keep the backlog manageable and risks to a minimum.
TL;DR
Building products is like playing Tetris. It’s about making strategic, fast decisions, taking calculated risks, and knowing when to pivot. It’s about the iterative process, adapting to new challenges, and having fun while at it.
I’m nowhere near an expert, but just like how I’ve improved my Tetris score (my new personal best is 130k in Blitz, hehe), I believe I can get better at making product decisions with more practice too.
