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That Time a Tetris Block Destroyed GameFAQs

Designing For

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Designing For is a series which looks at one specific level, character, or idea in gaming and breaks down the central theme to that element to figure out what it's, well, designing for! In this episode, we take a step back and observe internet culture as a whole with the GameFAQs character battle, a massive popularity contest that once saw an incredibly unlikely champion. We break down the rise of L-Block, the state that video games were in, and ultimately why silly moments and memes end up mattering to us and what getting attached to fandom really means.
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Patreon: Patreon: designingfor

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pyrrhickong....

Discord: Discord: discord

Director/Writer/Voice Over: Tommy Eyler/Pyrrhickong

Video Editing/Additional Direction/Script Editing/Footage: Lucas The Enby https://bsky.app/profile/lucastheenby...

Intro Animation By: @tarvouldsquest

Intro Theme By: SoundCloud: tracks

All Songs Used (In Order): https://pastebin.com/vH4366pK

0:00 The Ancient Legacy of GameFAQs
4:13 The Battle Lines Drawn - The GameFAQs 2007 Character Battle
8:34 Round 1: Lord Laharl's Gambit
15:10 Round 2: The God, The God Eater, And His Friend Donkey Kong
21:28 Round 3: Kept You Waiting, Huh?
27:09 Round 4: The Noble Nine
39:27 Round 5: Giving The Tetronimos Their Bomb Back
45:36 Final Round: I Am The LAW
54:58 Stage Cleared - Why Fandom Matters

20 Comments

@twingolord 3 months ago

I had no idea it was owned by fandom! It didn't have the signature unusability!

@dminik9196 3 months ago

"L is real" Miyamoto knew.

@WaffleyDootDoot 3 months ago

I feel like part of why L Block worked as a joke winner is that there's nothing really controversial about it. It's an inanimate block from a game everyone has played. It's not an annoying character or overrated or obscure. It's just a block.

@Wheaty03 3 months ago

maybe i'm not on the internet enough but this is the first time i've ever heard someone call GameFAQs anything other than "gamefacks"

@shadokwastaken 3 months ago

never understimate the power of "because funny"

@bardninja 3 months ago

I made absolutely sure to vote L block every day that contest and I regret nothing

@Cybershell13 3 months ago

This was a big deal if you were a loser online in 2007, and whenever I try and explain it to zoomers they just look bored and put their cigarettes out on my arms. So I'm glad there's a video talking about it.

@MattGalaxy550 3 months ago

The L-shaped W.

@CyberKirby 3 months ago

The Unwritten Rule of GameFAQs is "Nobody beats Cloud Strife"
That rule is supercede by
The Written Rule of GameFAQs, which is "Nobody beats Cloud Strife, except for Link"
But even THAT rule is superceded by
The Unwritten Rule of the Internet:
"Never underestimate the Rule of Funny"

@RTB-x2f 3 months ago

I always forget about GameFAQ’s absolutely insane obsession with Chrono Trigger.

@maugos 3 months ago

Yeah, this was quite the crazy event. Even I, a person who saw the contests every time I went to the site but didn't really interact with them, took notice. It was like going to a football game with no interest only to walk in on one of the most amazing underdog plays in history.

@planetsparky4668 3 months ago

L-block's reveal quote is "who ordered the chicken salad?"

@BagMonster 3 months ago

The Gaming Historian, you're as beautiful as the day we lost you

@Kanamo_D 3 months ago

Let none of the fantastic storytelling here distract you all from the fact that all of this was allowed to happen because that Fraud of an Overlord couldn’t One-Turn a collection of squares.

@dovesr0478 3 months ago (edited)

These polls were serious fucking business back in the day. One that was even more contentious was the greatest game of all time contest that got hijacked by the Undertale fandom which was brand new at the time. It bulldozed through the bracket, beating out OoT in the finals. I remember getting so angry when it took down Super Smash Bros Melee because I had recently joined the community at the time and was really into the game. Other users were seriously pissed off about it too which was super funny. I assume most of them were dumb teenagers like I was at the time, so it makes sense, but still hilarious to look back on.

@DrPokemon2001 3 months ago

So GameFAQs took the L.

@CosmicInsomniac 3 months ago

An hour long video about a tetris piece stealing the victory from Laharl? I'd call that an 'Hour of Darkness' anyday.

@Pyroja 2 months ago

0:20 Honestly the less Fandom messes with GameFAQs, the better. The day they decide to turn their attention to that site is the day it will become unusable.

@thebenbeatsgames 3 months ago

GameFAQs, aka GameFacks.

@TarvouldsQuest 3 months ago

Oh, my childhood. Watching this unfold was such a wild range of emotions, much like watching through this video was. Incredible job covering a topic that does not matter at all, but was such a memorable experience none the less.