Tetris, How I Love To Hate You!

Tetris is the devil.

I have a love hate relationship with the game Tetris.  On one hand, it satisfies my need to play video games, but on the other hand, it frustrates my OCD when I have Tetris pieces that just don't cooperate.  See, I can't just have random gaps all over the place.  When I'm constructing my Tetris pieces, I try to go for optimal 4 line elimination by organizing my pieces in a nicely shaped block, and praying to the Tetris gods that the long 4 block straight piece is going to come down, fall into place and leave me with a clean slate to start over again.  Does that happen? No.  I'm stuck trying to place this T like piece somewhere on the screen so it fits nicely and pray that the piece that comes after that is the piece that I'm looking for.  Well, shit.  I get a cube.  At this point, my OCD is about to go into overdrive, and I start to lose my shit.  The Tetris gods do indeed hate me.  BUT, I keep playing, organizing my pieces so they look  nice and tidy, and once again I find myself waiting for the prize piece.  Waiting, waiting...and DAMMIT!, it happens again.  Another piece that I didn't ask for, this time, it's the stupid S piece.  What the hell is that? Now I'm starting to get mad.  I am two more pieces away from launching my controller over my balcony and into the snow bank below.  Come on optimal straight piece, mama needs to clear the screen....come on, pretty please.  After praying, raging and almost having a breakdown, the Tetris gods shine down, give me the piece I need and WHAM!  just like that, four lines cleared, and I have breathing room once more. Now I can blink again.

I'm guessing that the people that designed this game either have a sick sense of humour, or they like messing with people who have the need to be in control or live with OCD.  They are both clever and cruel bastards.  Yet, I still love the game. I have ever since I was a kid and had it on my Nintendo system.  I also played it on my GameBoy as well...so much so that I spent most of my allowance on batteries, and I would have dreams of the Tetris pieces falling sweetly into place, and not once topping out during my game.  And now, as an adult, I play it online, and on the PlayStation.  It taunts me.  It's almost a compulsion these days.  When working on my computer, it's only one click away and I can get my fix. I need help.  I have to wonder if there's anyone else out there that has this same relationship with Tetris that I do.  Anyone? Please, for the love of god, don't tell me that I'm the only one.