Introduction
The game of Tetris is one of the longest running games ever produced. It has been going for 30 years and shows no sign of slowing down. How did this game become so popular?
Tetris is a simple game that’s captivated, inspired and entertained people all around the world for 30 years.
Tetris is a simple game that’s captivated, inspired and entertained people all around the world for 30 years. The game was first designed in 1984 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet computer scientist who worked at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science. It was originally made for the Electronika 60 computer.
When he wasn’t designing games, Pajitnov was working on artificial intelligence (AI) research—specifically how to create software that could make decisions based on past experiences without being told what to do or which way to go next. In other words: AI software that could learn from its mistakes instead of just repeating them over and over again like many current AI systems do today.
The creator of Tetris, Alexey Pajitnov, was working as a computer programmer in Moscow in 1984 when he decided to come up with a program using the geometric shapes known as tetrominoes.
The game was originally called “Cascade”, but when it was released in 1985 by Spectrum HoloByte for the IBM PC and Apple II computers, it was called Tetris.
The game starts with a 7×7 grid of empty spaces, which start to fill up as pieces fall down from above. The player must rotate and move them so that they fit together without leaving any gaps. If you succeed, you clear more space on the board, eventually filling it completely before time runs out – at which point your score is tallied up based on how many lines you were able to form during the game.
Although Tetris has been credited as the first game of its kind, there were several similar games that preceded it.
Although Tetris has been credited as the first game of its kind, there were several similar games that preceded it. The earliest known example of a game using tetrominoes is a game called Pentominoes, created by Solomon Golomb in 1953.
Pentominoes was a game played on a checkerboard and had players try to create lines of five pieces or more. Although this sounds like Tetris at first glance (and even contains some elements that are recognizable), it differs from the latter in several ways:
- The pieces could only be placed one at a time and did not fall automatically as they do in Tetris.
- There was no grid for horizontal or vertical lines—instead, players simply tried to make their pieces fit together as best they could into any shape they liked or could find space for.
Pajitnov’s original version of Tetris was programmed on an Electronika 60 computer and ran on a monochrome monitor.
You might be surprised to learn that the game of Tetris was originally programmed on a monochrome monitor. The computer used was called Electronika 60, and it was made in the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). It was in 1984 when Alexey Pajitnov first created his version of Tetris on this machine, which ran at speeds of 1 MHz or less.
By contrast, most modern computers are capable of running as fast as 2 GHz (gigahertz) while having large color screens that can display millions of colors simultaneously.
For a time, the Soviet government had claimed ownership of the rights to Tetris.
If you’ve never played Tetris, here is how it works: Blocks fall from the top of the screen at different speeds. You must move and rotate these pieces to fit them into an empty space so that they add up to a flat surface. The faster you can do this, the better your score will be at the end of each level.
The game was created by Alexey Pajitnov in 1984 while he was working for a computer manufacturer called Elektronorgtechnica, which had been founded by his father several years earlier. To understand what makes Tetris such a unique phenomenon, we need to go back further into history—to Moscow in 1985—and look at some other games made by Pajitnov during this time period that foreshadowed its creation while also providing insight into why it became so popular worldwide after its release on June 6th 1989 (which coincides with World Environment Day).
The Game Boy version, released in 1989 and developed by Gunpei Yokoi, was the first version to become widely popular in the United States.
The Game Boy version, released in 1989 and developed by Gunpei Yokoi, was the first version to become widely popular in the United States. The next year saw the release of Tetris Worlds for the GameCube, which contained three different modes: Classic Tetris mode (the original game), Fusion mode (a timed challenge where you must clear rows while keeping an eye on a bar that fills with color), and Party mode (a practice mode designed for multiplayer play).
In 1991, Nintendo released Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss on its Famicom Disk System in Japan only. In 1992, it was released as part of the Arcade Archives series on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as part of their 30th Anniversary celebrations.
In 1996, Nintendo released a control pad for the Super NES that looked like a standard D-pad but featured an additional digital button beneath it that allowed players to switch between playing Tetris and Dr. Mario during a game.
The Nintendo Advantage is a controller peripheral that was sold separately from the Super NES and Super Famicom consoles. It features an additional button beneath the D-pad that allows players to switch between playing Tetris and Dr. Mario during a game, as well as other functions.
The Advantage is compatible with both models of the original console (the Japanese “SNES” or “Super Famicom”), but not with its mini version or its European counterpart, the Mega Drive (also known as Genesis). It also has no compatibility with any subsequent incarnations of these products; neither do other similar products such as third-party controllers designed for use on these platforms.
When playing Tetris, players try to create a horizontal line without any gaps by moving previously dropped pieces into different positions and rotating them if necessary.
If you have never played Tetris before, or if it’s been a while since your last go at the game, here’s a quick refresher: when playing Tetris players try to create a horizontal line without any gaps by moving previously dropped pieces into different positions and rotating them if necessary. The player must manipulate the blocks as they fall by moving left and right, so that they fit together perfectly when they reach the bottom of the screen. Each block has four squares on each side and come in seven different shapes called tetrominoes (Tetris’ building blocks). These tetrominoes are made up of four squares that fit together perfectly, which is why they’re called tetrominoes!
A single piece move is counted as one move while a double or triple piece move counts as two moves.
The most common way of scoring points is by clearing the board. A single piece move is counted as one move while a double or triple piece move counts as two moves. The more pieces you move, the more points you get. This gives rise to a unique dynamic where players may choose not to clear all possible lines in order to build up their scores and potentially reach a higher score than their opponents. But if your opponent makes several consecutive clears, they may pass you and win!
The more you play Tetris, the better you will get at it!
As you play Tetris, your skills will improve. The more you play, the better you will get at it! You will learn how to play faster and more efficiently.
The longer someone plays Tetris, the better they are at playing it. This is not true for all games; some people have played for thousands of hours but still cannot beat their friend who has only played for 10 minutes!
Conclusion
So, if you have never tried Tetris because you thought it was old and boring, give it a go. You might be surprised. I know that in the past couple of years my family has really gotten into the game and loves playing it together. Even my husband, who is not much of a gamer at all, has been enjoying playing Tetris lately! We hope you enjoy
