Amazing Facts About the Timeless Game of Tetris
Smallest Tetris Game Ever Played
In 2002, researchers at the Department of Physics of Complex Systems in Virje created and played the tiniest Tetris game, measuring only 0.001 millimeters using a microscope, setting the record for the smallest Tetris game.
The Tetris Effect
Have you ever found yourself thinking about how various pieces fit together even when not playing Tetris? This phenomenon, known as the Tetris effect, was first discovered in individuals who played the game for long durations.
First Space Game of Tetris
In 1993, Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr A. Serebov became the first to play a video game in space – none other than Tetris! He took a personal copy with him before leaving Earth.
Apple’s Co-founder and the ‘Evets Kainzow’ Challenge
In the 1990s, high scores from Tetris players could be submitted and printed by Nintendo. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, submitted so many that he was eventually barred. He then created an alias, “Evets Kainzow,” and submitted more – only to forget his alias and become frustrated when someone else started beating his records.
Tetris: A Combination of Tetra and Tennis
Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian-American software engineer, created the original Tetris in 1985. The game’s name comes from the Greek prefix tetra (meaning four) and tennis, Pajitnov’s favorite sport.
Young Gamer ‘Conquers’ Tetris
In 2022, a 13-year-old gamer named Willis Gibson (alias Blue Scuti on YouTube) reached level 157 in Tetris, becoming the first person to do so. The game experienced errors – new blocks stopped descending, and the screen froze – leaving many in awe as reaching this level is almost impossible (the so-called ‘kill screen’).
The Piracy that Made Tetris Popular
When Pajitnov created Tetris, he didn’t know how to patent or distribute it. A copy was smuggled to Hungary, leading to various versions and the eventual piracy of the game. This piracy allowed Tetris to gain popularity worldwide, although Pajitnov didn’t earn much from its initial sales.
The Zurich Police Department and the Tetris Challenge
In 2019, members of the Zurich police department arranged their equipment and service vehicles in the shape of a Tetris filling grid. They took a birds-eye-view photograph that went viral, leading to healthcare practitioners, firefighters, some military units, and police officers worldwide taking up the challenge – it was known as the #TetrisChallenge.
From Simple Concept to a Global Phenomenon
Despite its simple concept, Tetris is one of the greatest video games ever made. Over 202 million copies have been sold since it was first created, and it has been played across every device that supports gaming, making it one of the most diverse video games available on over 65 platforms. The Game Boy Tetris version sold more than 35 million copies alone.
Tetris: The Most-Ported Video Game
Since the first version was developed, over 200 official game variants have been designed for at least 70 platforms. Tetris holds the record for being the most-ported videogame, as recognized by Guinness World Records.
The Largest Tetris Game
In 2014, Frank Lee, a professor in charge of Drexel University’s gaming department, developed a Tetris version large enough to be played on the North and South sides of Philadelphia’s 29-story Cira Center.
Tetris: Almost Passed Up by Nintendo
Nintendo didn’t think Tetris was a good fit for their Game Boy Console and nearly passed up the opportunity. However, Henk Rodgers, who represented Bullet Proof Software, managed to change their minds by emphasizing that Super Mario only appealed to little boys, while Tetris appealed to everyone who played video games. Tetris ended up selling more than 35 million copies for Nintendo.
Tetris: A Faster Game as You Advance
Tetris is coded in such a way that it gets faster as a gamer clears blocks and advances to the next level. For the longest time, it was believed that level 29 was the hardest/fastest. However, Thor Aackerlund, a Tetris specialist, showed that advancing to levels 30 and beyond was possible through the ‘hypertapping’ technique. Many players have pushed limits at least to level 38.
The Glitch at Level 138
Since Tetris was coded in the 1980s, the color of the game’s blocks glitch at level 138 and become dark and almost impossible to see. At the time, nobody imagined reaching those levels possible, and the game was built to be memory efficient.
