Play Tetris on a building in France using your cellphone

We do a lot of "because you can" pieces, but this one actually has some extra cool factor since it combines buildings and videogames.  Project Blinkenlights has a new project called "Arcade" (their creativity may have stopped right before the naming phase) that allows lucky residents of France to play Tetris on the Bibliothèque nationale de France (at night, of course).  By dialing [phone], the building transforms into falling block paradise.  Players use the 4, 5, and 6 buttons on their cellphones to play the game.  But wait!  Other games are available at different phone numbers, too.  Try Pong at [phone], Breakout at [phone], or Pac-Man (pictured) at [phone].

[Kirill @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

I think that blinkenlights did something like this first.
http://www.blinkenlights.de/index.en.html

[TedFox @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

Arcade which is part of Project Blinklights is an interactive light installation

right... u didn't read the article did you

[fabienne @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

um this was back in 2002. doesn't work anymore on the bnf (bibliotheque natl de france).

---fabienne

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

@Kirill
Yes, Blinkenlights did something like it first (the clue is in the second sentence : "Project Blinkenlights has a new project...")

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

How come no one mention the price to play it? I find that interesting.

[Dean Shan @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

I want one. This is way better then PS2.

[Dom @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

Go on, admit it, you got this story from reading the SomethingAwful forums

[tainted @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

Finally something that we Americans can say was worth invading Northern France for.

[Frederic Dumeny @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

it was indeed back in 2002
& it was free
the installation had been set up for an annual "party" called "nuit blanche" (white night) wich gathers lots of artistic experience through 1 night each year in october in Paris

[Pete Hopkins @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

The original tetris-on-a-building, from 2000:

http://bastilleweb.techhouse.org/

[caldwell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

this is what my dad's friend said who lives in paris.

"I called up (73 51), a guy answered, didn�t know what I was taking about.

Some hoax or con, probably."

i trust your sources and i bet he just dialed the wrong number, or maybe it does not work if he called during the day.

[Scout's tetris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

Visit my site if you wish to play Tetris