Tetris in the sky: Gamers play on Philly building

A skyscraper-sized version of the classic video game Tetris in Philadelphia created a spectacle that organizers hope inspired onlookers and players to think about the possibilities of technology.

The 29-story Cira Centre has hundreds of LED lights embedded in its glass facade and provided a 100,000-square-foot “screen” for the gamers on Saturday. Competitors used joysticks to maneuver Images of supersized shapes that “fell” on the tower.

The marvel kicked off a citywide series of events called Philly Tech Week. It also celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of Tetris, a game loved for its elegance and simplicity.

Game designer Frank Lee says that putting Tetris on a building was like making a huge virtual campfire. The associate professor of digital media at Drexel University called it a way to unite the city.