TETRIS - When a game makes history in your life.

GAME ON!

@archdruid, @curie, @veryspider and @elfranz... Here's my 2nd entry (one more are coming soon) to the CONTEST.

Thank you all for this great idea!

For many people, a video game is just a video game (pure entertainment)... For others - in addition to entertainment (which is quite importantm, after all, game was also made for fun), they represent important moments in people's lives and store with them affective memories... Sometimes, much more than we can imagine!

Fortune

THE REASON

Tetris was the first game presented to me by my parents. I had played other games, but this one became special because it was a family recommendation. I spent hours playing this game in my house. Sometimes with my father, other times with my mother, and sometimes with the whole family together.

I still remember that it rained a lot on that day and the weather was very cold outside when they (my parents) got home and called me in the living room to talk about the game:

"Hey son, we have some great news here! Come here to listen to them!"

Definitely, this game brings me special memories and bring it all back, as I write this post, it's amazing! Obviously I met the game in its most modern version (haha!), but with this post I want to talk about the oringial game (released in 1984).

TETRIS (Origin)

MMP

Based on a puzzle called Pentaminó (is a poliminó composed of five congruent squares, connected orthogonally... there are 12 different pentaminos, and they are named according to the letters they look like), a computer engineer namedAlexey Pajitnov (working at the Computer Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences) decided that a virtual version would have to become real because there was a lot of potential in the essence of the game and initially only on his computer (the Electronica 60), that's how Tetris came to life.

Considered by many people within the world of psychological strategy games as a prime reference, this game has reached an unusual level of popularity by the standards of the launching season (which has surprised everyone, especially its other creators Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov).

Removing some of the game blocks, Pajitnov renamed it with the prefix that names the number "4" in Greek: Tetris.

THE ESSENCE OF THE GAME (How it works)

Estadão

Consisting of the idea of ​​handling the tetraminos (various geometric shapes composed of 4 blocks) in order to complete horizontal lines in order to destroy them as soon as they are aligned, the player is challenged to always keep his mind focused on the next steps whenever a new tetramino appears to mess up the scenery. Earning points each time a line is destroyed, the game ends only when the tetramine stack reaches the top of the screen.

No one could imagine who such an initiative would start from the Soviet Union, much less that it would not take long to become very popular with such ease. It has become a kind of addiction, reaching a record audience and rapidly gaining enhancements to become more attractive (visually) and more challenging (in its gameplay).

REACHING THE SKY (Popularity)

Polygon

Tetris as it is known today was the result of an informal dissemination that took place at the time of its initial development. Due to Pajitnova's addiction (which was "infecting" the two working friends who helped him create the game and the other co-workers of the computer center), the diquestes containing copies of the game that had been distributed had to be destroyed to prevent Pajitnov from being accused of misrepresenting the focus of his unit of work.

However, the informality with which the game was passed on ensured its improvement and subsequent commercialization by other interested parties who managed to see the same market potential and interactivity perceived by Pajitnov.

This only happened when the game arrived in Hungary. Robert Stein (who ironically did not like electronic games), was "stuck" to the game for hours on end, and because of that he decided to negotiate the rights of the game and launch it by his own company, Andromeda (responsible for editing the game for the North American audience).

IMPACT ON THE REAL WORLD

The game has evolved a lot since then and today has many versions with more advanced technology, a more modern look and more challenging gameplay. In addition, the game entered the hall of world popular culture and became responsible for various types of arts and gave life to the making of toys and memes (with connections to the real life) based on it.

Reddit

Amazon

Saatchi Art

Meme

Paperchasers Ink Magazine

Tetris is on the IGN website's list of the 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL GAMES OF ALL TIME (and also, it was part of so many other lists) - not only because of this achievement, but by the journey of the game itself which is very impressive! - and the importance of its timelessness for this vast world of entertainment is more evident than the most crystalline water in the world.

Giphy