The Birth of Tetris – Retro Replay FYI

Few games are as universally recognizable as Tetris. With its falling blocks, catchy music, and addictive gameplay loop, it has become one of the most iconic puzzle games ever created. But its origins are just as fascinating as the game itself.

Tetris was created in 1984 by Alexey Pajitnov, a computer scientist working at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Inspired by his love of puzzles and simple shapes, he designed the game on a Soviet-made computer. Almost instantly, it became a hit among his colleagues. There was just one problem. The Soviet Union did not allow private citizens to sell software at the time, which meant Pajitnov could not legally profit from or distribute his creation.

Despite this restriction, Tetris spread quietly on floppy disks, copied and passed from one person to another. Its addictive gameplay ensured it traveled far beyond Russia’s borders, eventually catching the attention of companies in the West. Through a complicated and often shady series of licensing deals, Tetris was eventually brought to Nintendo’s Game Boy in 1989. That move cemented its place in history, with millions of players hooked on clearing lines during bus rides, lunch breaks, and late nights.

What began as a forbidden passion project behind the Iron Curtain became one of the most successful video games of all time. Tetris proved that sometimes the simplest ideas have the power to change the world.

Do you remember the first time you played Tetris? Was it on a Game Boy, an arcade machine, or maybe even an old computer?