You are here: DIME Home > Games > The History of Tetris Video Games

The History of Tetris Video Games

Tetris is a legendary video game that uses an extremely simple concept and yet provides hours upon hours of entertainment. This game has been released on nearly every video game console and arcade system, as well as many other electronic devices like phones and calculators. The name "Tetris" is derived from the Greek numerical prefix "Tetra-," meaning "of four" or "having four." This is because all of the pieces used in Tetris are made up of four segments arranged in different shapes.

Author: Collin Trenery
Date: Apr 9, 2011 - 4:33:12 PM

Printer friendly page

Tetris is a legendary video game that uses an extremely simple concept and yet provides hours upon hours of entertainment. This game has been released on nearly every video game console and arcade system, as well as many other electronic devices like phones and calculators. The name "Tetris" is derived from the Greek numerical prefix "Tetra-," meaning "of four" or "having four." This is because all of the pieces used in Tetris are made up of four segments arranged in different shapes.

The Beginning

The Tetris legend began on June 6, 1984. A man by the name of Alexey Pajitnov created the game of Tetris on an Elektronika 60 (an old computer made by the Soviet Union). The game begins to grow in popularity and by July of 1986 it is programmed for the Apple II and Commodore 64. Soon, however, we will see that Tetris is involved in heavy legal battles.

A man by the name of Robert Stein attempts to get Pajitnov to sign a contract, however this is a failure. He then proceeds to formulate a plan to steal the game of Tetris, and claim it was invented by Hungarian programmers. Legal battles from this point continue to ensue as the IBM PC version of the game is released in the United States.

Arrival in United States

The IBM PC version of Tetris was released in the United States in 1986. The game was an explosion of success, making places of top magazines being described as simple yet extremely addictive. In 1987 Andromeda, a British software company whose president was Robert Stein, managed to secure a copyright license for the IBM PC version of the game as well as any other computer system.

Nintendo's Story

Nintendo released Tetris for their NES system and their hand-held Game Boy system. Nintendo's Game Boy Tetris became arguably the most well-known version of Tetris, selling over 33 million copies. Lawsuits between Nintendo and another company would carry on until 1993.

As we move along with the evolution of Nintendo systems, Tetris Attack for the Super Nintendo is a highly rated game. And let us not forget about Tetris 64, also one of the best versions. Many other variations of the game of Tetris were developed by Nintendo for various systems as well.

The Battle Ends

In 1996, The Tetris Company was founded and claimed copyrights to Tetris in the United States as well as securing trademark registrations for Tetris in almost every country of the world. The Tetris Company also tried to remove all clones of the game by sending out many cease and desist letters, but this was not a complete success.

The sheer number of Tetris versions and variations is too large to cover, but rest assured that the Legacy of Tetris will live on forever!

Author COllin Trenery. Become a COD: Black ops pro with the black ops multiplayer guide. Use the black ops strategy guide to master the game.

View all articles by Collin Trenery

Link to this article:

Follow & Share Your Favorite Video Articles

Tell a Friend About This Site

Tweet about this site

Follow @dimeco

Recommended Associates

Do you write?

Would you like submit your articles and have them approved on a priority status? Find out more about how you can become a Priority author for pennies a day! Click here.