VJ Heaven

This game played by lights in each room in a student building. It’s amazing show. enjoy it!

Original Tetris game, running on the Soviet made DVK-2 computer (successor of the Elektronika 60 computer, using same with Elektronika 60 display and keyboard). Photographs of the “DVK-2″ computer: www.leningrad.su Photographs of the Elektronika 60M” computer: www.leningrad.su

The game of Tetris derived its name from the Greek work ‘tetra’ which means four and the work ‘tennis’ which is its inventor’s favorite sport game. Tetris started as a puzzle video game invented by Russian Alexey Pajitnov way back in June 1985. He works in the Dorodnicyn Computer Center in the Academy of Science of the USSR.

Although a simple game, Tetris has dealt with a lot of legal battle basically because of ownership and rights issue. Pajitnov, whose original concept was the foundation of the Tetris game has shared the limelight with Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov. The three computer whizzes are working for the same project, Elektronika 60.

Since its conceptualization in 1985, Tetris has been a popular computer game all over Moscow and soon created a strong following among gamers from overseas. It was adapted to a number of versions in more ways than one.

In Budapest (Hungary), the IBM PC version of Tetris is very popular. In Britain and parts of Europe a software company called Andromeda circulated the game. The said independent company was interested in buying the full exclusive rights of the game and tried to contact Pajitnov. The original creator of the game sold the rights to Spectrum Holobyte and not to Andromeda. Andromeda, being disappointed, tried to license the game from Hungarian game programmers instead. This set a controversy and mass production of the original Tetris game. The company continually sold rights of the game to the market which it does not have the right to do so in the first place.

The Spectrum HoloByte IBM PC version of the Tetris game made its way in the United States by 1986. It was one of the hottest computer games at that time and has been an instant hit. Gamers of all levels, of all ages, loved the simplicity and strategy behind the game. More people get hooked and addicted to the game and its popularity spread like wildfire all over the globe.

The Atari ST and the Amiga have different versions of the Tetris game. The difference mainly lies on the background graphics of the game. Apple also got interested with the Tetris game and created versions of the game that are compatible with its operating system. The Tetris game originally comes in 5 ¼ inch diskettes and 3 ½ disks, which are surprisingly, non-copyrighted.

Pajitnov finally granted rights of the game to the Soviet Government. Come 1988, the Soviet saw the potential of the game and started marketing it through an organization referred to as the Elektronorgtechnica or Elorg. The said organization granted rights of the arcade version of Tetris to Atari games. Nintendo also bought the handheld and non-Japanese rights of the game.

Today, you can play Tetris games in your computer, iPod, cellphones and in a number of consoles. You can also play Tetris online at the comfort of your own home for free!

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!