I think it’s fair to say that most video game fans are at least a little familiar with the basic beats behind the creation of Tetris. Alexey Pajitnov, a technician with the USSR’s Computer Centre, programmed the puzzle game in his spare time using only the text display of an Electronika 60. After porting the game to IBM-Compatible PCs with the assistance of his co-workers, Pajitnov’s supervisors would go on to sell the international rights to the game to multiple companies, creating a legal mess that would drag on for years.
In time, Pajitnov would move to the United States and regain the rights to Tetris after partnering with Henk Rogers to form The Tetris Company in 1996. Since then, dozens of developers have put their own stamp on Tetris, including the eye-popping VR effects of Tetris Effect in 2018 and the hyper-competitive multiplayer of Tetris 99 in 2019.
Today is Tetris‘s 35th Anniversary, and if you’re unfamiliar with the story behind the game’s creation (or just want to hear it again), there’s no better time than now to dive back into this fascinating story.
From short films to podcasts to full-length features, Documenting the Past tunes in to the history of video games through a documentarian’s lens.
Did You Know Gaming? turned its trivia-focused series towards Tetris in 2015, and while they briefly touch on the game’s origins, the episode quickly veers off into a discussion about scientific studies done on the psychological effects of Tetris:
For a more in-depth retelling of the game’s origins, you might want to turn to “The Story of Tetris” episode from Norman Caruso’s The Gaming Historian. Caruso heavily documents the various legal battles that Tetris has been involved in, including the absolutely bizarre fight between Nintendo and Tengen over the NES’s lockout chip:
But the most touching tribute to Tetris might be this discussion between Pajitnov and Rogers about the “Secret Origins of the Tetris Phenomenon” at the 2015 DICE Summit. The two men shared anecdotes about the game’s creation, and even talked about their desire to award Olympic Gold to the best puzzle game players in the future:
So here’s to Tetris! I only hope it can keep changing and growing for another 35 years.