How Playing Tetris Too Much is (Kinda Sorta) Like Getting into a DUI Crash in Los Angeles

If you’ve recently been in a DUI crash in Los Angeles, the memories of the disaster have likely seared their way into your brain. los-angeles-dui-accident-tetris.jpg

When you close your eyes at night, you may re-imagine your DUI arrest in L.A. in vivid detail, particularly if you got seriously hurt or hurt someone else.

Those unpleasant memories can be almost impossible to dislodge by conscious effort.

Not to trivialize your experience in any way, but at least to an extent, what’s happening in your brain is similar to what happens in the brains of people who play video games, like Tetris, too long.

If you’ve ever played Tetris, you probably know how addictive it can be. As you learn intuitively how the shapes go together and how to make lines, you incrementally develop your skills and go faster and get more creative with your strategies.

The game is simple and intuitive, and it leads to a very satisfying “learning curve.”

When you engage in the repetitive behavior, your brain begins to focus on tetris, even when you are not consciously playing. This is why, long after you finish, you continue “playing” in your mind.

This phenomenon occurs not just after repetitive activities but also after INTENSE activities. The intensity of the Los Angeles DUI cemented a memory in your mind, much as the repetition of playing Tetris cements that memory of game-playing in the mind.

Of course, this is a dramatic oversimplification. The processes by which we make memories, retain and recall memories, and have emotional reactions that flow from them are incredibly complex and not even fully understood by the world’s top neurologists.

This isn’t to say that you will be forever haunted by images of your Los Angeles DUI accident.

Your first step towards making some sense of the chaos is to reach out and get reputable help.

The team here at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers is well known for helping DUI defendants like you develop strategic and workable defense strategies. Attorney Kraut understands the system on a very deep level — not just intellectually but also pragmatically. He served as a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles for nearly 14 years. He has many great relationships, not only with defense attorneys and clients but also with prosecutors and police and judges.


If you have been arrested for a DUI in Pasadena or you are under investigation for driving under the influence in Southern California, please contact Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut for 24/7 assistance by phone at (323) 464-6453 or toll free at (888) 334-6344 or online.

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