Domino is a game that involves matching up domino tiles edge to edge so they either match in number of dots (called pips) or form some other specified total. The first player to do so wins the round. A domino may also have blank sides, which are considered wild and can be ascribed any value by the players. Many different types of domino games are played, from simple blocking to complex scoring and even duplicate card games.
Dominoes are small flat rectangular pieces that are usually twice as long as they are wide, and are made from a variety of materials including plastic, wood, bone, and ivory. Most sets of dominoes include twenty-four double-sided tiles that have a combination of dots ranging from one to twelve, with some having as few as five or as many as fourteen.
Hevesh first began creating domino setups as a child, and by age 10 she had begun posting videos of her creations online. Her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has since grown to have over 2 million subscribers. Today, she creates mind-blowing domino setups for movies, TV shows, and events—and she’s set a Guinness record for the largest domino arrangement toppled in a circle: 76,017 pieces. Her larger installations can take several nail-biting minutes to fall.
As Hevesh builds her domino sets, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. She considers the theme or purpose of the piece and brainstorms images or words that might represent it. Then, she determines what kind of domino pieces she’ll need and how many of each type. She also designs a pattern to connect the pieces and map out where each will go in the arrangement.
She then puts the pieces on the table in their correct order and starts laying them down. When the last piece is positioned, she nudges it with a finger or a pencil to set it in motion. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to get that first domino over, but once it’s done, the rest of the chain reaction kicks into gear. The next domino quickly topples, and so on, until the entire arrangement has fallen.
Hevesh’s domino creations are a stunning example of how even small events can lead to a big effect. But when it comes to story writing, there’s an even more important lesson in how dominoes are built and arranged. A writer must carefully pace her scenes to ensure that the resulting cascade of plot beats doesn’t feel overly slow or too fast—that is, that a scene is neither too long and heavy on details (which can make it difficult for readers to follow), nor too short at crucial moments in a story when the hero is closest to or farthest from their goal.
Domino’s rapid turnaround is a perfect example of how listening to customers—and embracing their opinions and needs—can boost a business. When the company heard that its employees weren’t happy with certain aspects of its culture, it took action and implemented new practices that made the workforce happier and more productive.