Why is Get MIT So Popular?

By Camilla Norton ’25

Helen Marshall ’25 strategically determining her next move to secure MIT.

It's a feat to get into MIT, but so is GETting MIT. 
 
GET MIT, a new version of the game 2048 played with colleges instead of numbers, has undoubtedly taken this campus by storm. It's played on a plain 4x4 grid with tiles marked by various college logos that slide when players use the four arrow keys. The game initially starts with two CalTech tiles already on the grid, with another such tile appearing in a random empty space whenever an arrow key is pressed. The tiles that appear range from West Coast to East Coast schools, with the final goal being to achieve the furthest East Coast school, MIT. It takes, on average, 938 moves to win, with the trick being to always keep the furthest East Coast college in the corner. This simple game takes the perfect combination of stamina and patience. Now the question is, what makes this simple game so enticing and exhilarating for students? Several Martlets were interviewed, and these were their responses:
 
Helen Marshall ’25 said: “I play because I need to finish the game. It's one of those things where you can't give up and have to play until you win. I actually don't like playing, but I won't give up until I win.”
 
Juliette Smatt ’25 said: “It makes me feel like I'm successful. It's the perfect way to take my mind off of stressful parts of my day.”
 
Chip Genung ’25 said: “I like playing GET MIT because it's relaxing and doesn't require a lot of thought. It's much more enjoyable than 2048 because the end goal feels so much more rewarding.”
 
Maddie Clark ’25, a three-time MIT achiever, said: “It just centers my emotions. It makes me feel this level of calmness that I can’t achieve any other way. I’d describe it as a sense of stability – a way to control the controllable.”
 
So there you have it — playing this game is a cure for stress while simultaneously a source of insanity. It's fun to play, but once you start, it's hard to stop, until you've won. If you don’t believe me, try playing it and see if you can GET MIT.