History of Tetris: From Origin to Present

Learning about the history of Tetris is exploring the humble beginnings of one of the most iconic video games ever created. Though it’s simplistic in design, concept, and graphics, to this day, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn’t played or at least heard of Tetris. 

When it comes to Tetris, there’s a lot to unpack. This guide will walk you through the creation, progression, and impact of this special video game that has withstood the test of time and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Origins of Tetris

Who was Tetris invented by?

Alexey Pajitnov is the software engineer who developed the game during his free time in his mundane shifts at the Academy in 1984. He created and shared the game with his coworkers, who would inevitably become hooked due to its addictive gameplay style.

Inspiration and Development

Early Versions

After its creation, Tetris was distributed around town via floppy disks. Alexey created the game on an Electronika 60 computer, which had no raster graphics in those days. Instead, text blocks were used for the block’s formations.

Spread to the West

Though the game was becoming wildly popular, getting any rights to the game wasn’t easy, as private companies were not allowed in the Soviet Union. Thanks to the Cold War, getting the game out of the USSR was all the more challenging.

Introduction to the Western Market

As the game’s popularity began spreading beyond Moscow, copies of it began to stretch across borders, one of which wound up in someone’s hands in Hungary. More specifically, it landed at the Hungarian Institute of Technology, where Robert Stein, Owner of Andromeda Software from the UK, caught wind of the game and wanted to make it more than a bootleg-driven product. Stein tracked down and contacted Alexey Pajitnov and began working with the USSR to get it through the licensing process. Though a deal wasn’t struck, it culminated in other companies looking to deal with the Soviet government and Pajitnov.

The Rights Dispute

The right to Tetris is a convoluted nightmare, weaving over national borders, involving the USSR and several companies spanning several years (from the late 80s to the early 90s). For a detailed account of the legal confusion surrounding the game, you can check out a great article at the Above the Law site.

Nintendo’s Role

Nintendo Entertainment Systems is one of the entities in the rights race that won the rights to the hand-held and console versions of the game in 1989. For most people worldwide (particularly Gen X’ers), their first experience playing Tetris was on the Nintendo console.

Becoming a Global Phenomenon

Tetris eventually made its way into every vein of the video gaming industry at the time.

Tetris on Gameboy

Tetris was strategically included with the Gameboy as a selling point by Nintendo. It was a sound decision, contributing toward making both the Gameboy and Tetris household names and cementing their status as cultural icons.

Arcade and Console Releases

The Atari version of Tetris hit arcades by 1988, followed by the release of the Nintendo version not long after; both played a hand in expanding the game’s reach. Around this period of time, many arcades began to close their doors due to the growing popularity of hand-held and console systems.

Impact on Gaming Culture

After Tetris became an international icon, developers tried to capture the addictive nature of the game, turning out close copies or games that had similarly simple structures, all of which impacted the types of games being distributed. Undoubtedly, Tetris has imitators but no replacement, and it is still a staple in competitive and casual gaming environments.

Tetris in the 1990s

The ’90s is when Tetris began to take hold in homes worldwide.

New Platforms and Versions

With the 90s came multiple waves of gaming platforms, most of which were driven to include Tetris in their catalogs. Alongside consoles and hand-held platforms emerged PCs, and the popularity of laptops emerged toward the end of the 90s.

Tetris Variations

Tetris 2, Tetris Plus, and Tetrisphere are among the most popular iterations of the game, though there are many more. In the 90s, there were at least 25 game variations by the decade’s end.

Cultural References

Throughout the 90s, you could catch people wearing Tetris merchandise or catch a Tetris reference in commercials on TV. The Simpsons (along with other TV shows) referenced the game and was featured in several gaming magazines. Though Tetris has remained relevant culturally to date, it rose to cultural prominence within the 90s.

Tetris in the 2000s and Beyond

The better technology gets, the more Tetris spreads like wildfire.

Digital and Online Evolution

By this time, gaming over the internet became more popular, particularly with the advent of connections greater than dial-up. Tetris morphed into multiple variations, including Tetris Friends and other browser-based online variations.

Modern Innovations

From the turn of the century onward, new Tetris-based experiences have been developed, such as Tetris DS, Tetris Party, and Tetris Blitz, which introduced new mechanics and game modes.

Tetris Effect and Tetris 99

Some categorically different flavors of the classic Tetris game have emerged, taking this game into different genres. Games like Tetris Effect are known for their advanced audio-visual capabilities (which were never a concern with the classic game). Tetris 99 is designed as a battle royale for players to compete against each other online, typically through the Nintendo Switch.

Cultural and Societal Impact

Global Popularity

Not every game has a movie made about its conception, but Tetris does. Now that the game has aged so finely, adding to its stabilized popularity is an element of nostalgia, bringing older players back to the game as a vessel for a trip down memory lane. All this leads to the fact that Tetris isn’t just a game but an icon that has played a hand in influencing art, music, and has crept into psychological lingo (the Tetris effect).

Educational and Therapeutic Uses

Tetris utilizes a host of cognitive functions, and through regular play can enhance these functions. Because of these benefits, Tetris is used as a tool in various educational and therapeutic settings.

Enduring Legacies

The game is simple to learn yet difficult to master, which is why it can be enjoyed by players young and old. It’s timeless, simple, addictive, and rewarding, all of which contribute to Tetris being toted as one of the most successful video games ever created.