On a spectacular night, the Dubai Frame became the stage for the largest game of Tetris ever played, using an impressive display of 2,800 drones that lit up the sky and revolutionized the experience of the iconic game. The final of the Red Bull Tetris World not only highlighted the popularity of eSports but also showcased the potential for innovation within the realm of video games. A game of gigantic dimensions The event, which took place in this iconic 150-meter-high structure, allowed competitors to immerse themselves in a large-scale arcade game. Each player controlled 1,400 […]
On a spectacular night, the Dubai Frame became the stage for the largest game of Tetris ever played, using an impressive display of 2,800 drones that lit up the sky and revolutionized the experience of the iconic game. The final of the Red Bull Tetris World not only highlighted the popularity of eSports but also showcased the potential for innovation within the realm of video games.
A match of gigantic dimensions
The event, which took place in this iconic 150-meter tall structure, allowed competitors to immerse themselves in a large-scale recreation. Each player operated 1,400 synchronized drones that projected the game pieces in real time, creating an unprecedented visual experience. The competition, which attracted more than 7 million participants in the global qualifying rounds, culminated in an exciting 10-minute final between Fehmi Atalar from Turkey and Leo Solórzano from Peru.
Fehmi was crowned champion after accumulating 168,566 points in just five minutes with a controller placed strategically to maximize his gameplay time. In contrast, his rival scored 57,164 points, which puts into perspective Atalar’s extraordinary performance. This game format, called “phone to drone,” reflected the evolution of the classic game Tetris, which has entertained generations since its release 35 years ago.
Through an event that combined advanced technology, the charm of classic games, and a festive atmosphere, the final became a memorable celebration. With music, guests, and the grandeur of the Dubai Frame as a backdrop, it was demonstrated that, despite the consolidation of eSports, there is still room for innovation and creativity within the universe of video games.
In 1984, Alexey Pajitnov, a young Soviet developer, never imagined that his simple puzzle, inspired by one of his favorite games, would change the landscape of video games forever. Tetris, as he named it, would not only become a global phenomenon but would also catapult him to fame and wealth. Over the years, Pajitnov has continued to create new gaming experiences, highlighting recent titles like Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect, which reimagine the classic gameplay of his original creation. A most singular man After emigrating to the United States in the 90s, […]
In 1984, Alexey Pajitnov, a young Soviet developer, never imagined that his simple puzzle, inspired by one of his favorite games, would change the landscape of video games forever. Tetris, as he named it, would not only become a global phenomenon but also catapult him to fame and wealth. Over the years, Pajitnov has continued to create new gaming experiences, highlighting recent titles like Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect, which reimagine the classic gameplay of his original creation.
A Most Unique Man
After emigrating to the United States in the 90s, Pajitnov founded The Tetris Company, taking charge of managing the rights to the iconic brand. Although his masterpiece has always been Tetris, Pajitnov has shown his passion for video game design with several projects, although none reached the same level of success. Among them are Welltris, which introduced three-dimensional elements to the classic Tetris, and Hatris, a game where players must match hats falling from the sky.
At Microsoft, where he worked for several years, his game Hexic stands out, released alongside the Xbox 360 in 2005, which is considered one of his greatest achievements at the company. Despite his semi-official retirement in 2010, Pajitnov has left an indelible mark on the video game industry, although his personal life has been marked by tragedies, such as the death of his son in 2017.
Recently, Pajitnov was in Spain to receive an award at the OXO Video Game Museum, reaffirming his impact on the industry. As the world of video games continues to adapt, fans hope that Pajitnov’s legacy and creativity will continue to inspire future generations of developers and players.
The Bio Sensor, a device launched by Nintendo in Japan in late 1998, marked a milestone at the intersection of technology and video games by allowing the player’s heart rate to modify the difficulty of the famous Tetris 64. This innovative peripheral, designed to connect to the Nintendo 64 controller, included a clip that was placed on the player’s ear, analyzing their heart rate in real time and adjusting the gaming experience in a mode called Bio Tetris. Although it was a bold attempt to integrate the player’s physiology into gameplay, the device never made it out of […]
The Bio Sensor, a device launched by Nintendo in Japan in late 1998, marked a milestone at the intersection of technology and video games, allowing the player’s heart rate to modify the difficulty of the renowned Tetris 64. This innovative peripheral, designed to connect to the Nintendo 64 controller, included a clip that was placed on the player’s ear, analyzing their heart rate in real time and adjusting the gaming experience in a mode called Bio Tetris. Although it was a bold attempt to integrate the player’s physiology into gameplay, the device never left Japan and was only applied to this particular title.
A useless device that only serves to play Tetris
The Bio Sensor was offered both independently and in a package alongside Tetris 64. Its unique functionality allowed for two game modes, contributing to a more immersive experience, especially in its multiplayer version. However, despite its originality, the Bio Sensor is part of an extensive culture of unusual peripherals that spans the history of video games, where innovative ideas have been both acclaimed and considered complete failures.
Almost a decade later, Nintendo introduced the Wii Vitality Sensor, a similar device intended to capture heartbeats during the gaming experience in various Wii titles. However, the company eventually abandoned the product, although it did not give up on the idea of using players’ emotions and reactions as an integral part of the game dynamics.
Meanwhile, Tetris has continued to evolve over time, presenting new variants that have expanded the boundaries of the classic game. Titles like Tetris Effect, which offers stunning sensory experiences, especially in virtual reality, demonstrate that the franchise continues to explore new ways to connect with its players, highlighting the lasting relevance of the series within digital entertainment culture.
Nintendo continues to support Nintendo Switch Online. If last week they added some cult classics from Sega, next week it’s about one of their great classic games. If not the greatest game in history. Because they are bringing us the original NES Tetris, for the first time since its release in 1989. Available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the game is one of the most popular classic versions of Tetris. Being one of the most famous along with the Sega arcade version. Additionally, this is the […]
Nintendo continues to support Nintendo Switch Online. Last week it was adding some cult classics from Sega, and next week it will be one of its great classic games – if not the greatest game in history. Because they are going to bring us the original NES Tetris, for the first time since its release in 1989.
Available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, the game is one of the most popular classic versions of Tetris. It is one of the most famous along with the Sega arcade version.
Additionally, this is the first time we can enjoy the NES Tetris outside of the console. Although not exactly. A remake of the game was released in Tetris & Dr. Mario for the SNES exclusively in the West, and Tetris Effect: Connected included a game mode that simulated the rules and visual style of the NES Tetris. However, this is the first time we have a direct port of the game.
There’s still a little time before we can enjoy Tetris
If you want to play NES Tetris, you’ll still have to wait a few days. The game will be released on Nintendo Switch Online on December 12th, just in time to spend the Christmas season immersed in the best game in history.
You might be thinking, “How on earth can there be a new version of Tetris?” Alexey Pajitnov became world-famous for creating this puzzle in the Soviet Union, and then making the Game Boy a resounding success. Eight years later, an even better version has been released in Japan: the incredible Tetris Battle Gaiden.
On December 24, 1993, the studio Bullet-Proof Software, responsible for porting Tetris to NES (and five other computers) and creating Tetris Plus, Wordtris, and Super Tetris 2, released Tetris Battle Gaiden in the Japanese market. The game that not only included a competitive mode, but also allowed the players to choose different characters, each with their own abilities to defeat the opponent.
The characters have four different magic powers—two aimed at breaking the opponent’s strategy and starting our offensive; and two to clear the screen of pieces or give us playable advantages. Just for this novelty alone, it is worth trying: to recharge the magic, you have to make lines with Tetris pieces that have spheres instead of cubes. For each line, a magic level is gained (up to a maximum of four).
In addition, one of the great innovations is that both players share the same “pile” of pieces. If you miss one, you can always go slower than usual to let your opponent catch it. As if this were not enough, it has very fun animations and a certain strategy.
And where can you get this game forgotten by history? Well, in the Tetris Forever collection that being prepared by Digital Eclipse to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the saga. It includes a 90-minute documentary, new exclusive variants, and as many games as you want until you only see falling pieces before going to sleep. It will be available in 2024 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC, so you have no excuse not to discover this marvel.
Beyond the “death screen” that appeared in arcades, on NES it simply… stops working and completely halts.
I know what you’re thinking: “Ah, but does ‘Tetris‘ ever end? Is there a final cinematic? What was the story to begin with?”. And yes, it’s normal to doubt, but the truth is that Alekséi Pajitnov’s game has a kind of ending on NES that only artificial intelligence had reached until now. Beyond the “death screen” that appeared in arcades, on NES it simply… stops working and completely freezes.
Pajitnov created ‘Tetris’ in Soviet Russia in 1985 and it was first released outside of computers and arcades on NES in 1988, although it was a mess because everyone believed they had the rights and licenses (I recommend the movie ‘Tetris’ to find out everything). The point is that before being synonymous with Game Boy, the game was already a big hit on Nintendo’s “big” console.
We go 35 years into the future, where Blue Scuti, a 13-year-old boy who has been playing ‘Tetris’ in its competitive variant since 2011, has been the first person in history to force the NES to fall into a “death screen” where the pieces fall at an impossible speed, the game freezes and it is impossible to continue playing.
And he didn’t make it up, not by a long shot: there’s evidence, because it was being recorded on live video on YouTube. Watching the moment when the pieces keep falling non-stop and he manages to place them with exact and perfect precision is fascinating, almost hypnotic. He only needs 38 minutes to break the game, which Scuti finishes by shouting “Yes! I’m going to faint, I can’t feel my fingers, I can’t feel my hands”.
The ultimate goal of Scuti is to stay at the top of the competitive ‘Tetris’ scene and inspire new players. I repeat: he is thirteen years old. Thirteen! At that age, the most useful thing I did was watch ‘Oliver and Benji’ while eating Nocilla sandwiches. The new generations are making a strong comeback in the retro scene.
Tetris, the Apple TV+ movie, looks set to have more drama in reality than fiction, as it has recently been accused of plagiarism.
The Tetris story is one that anyone with even a slight interest in video game history is familiar with. Complex, devoid of heroes, and riddled with political entanglements and corporate controversies, it’s the kind of tale where there are no clear heroes or villains, but rather a demonstration of how capitalism always finds a way to pave its path. To capitalize on everything. This irony is particularly pronounced in the case at hand, as Apple finds itself in a rather uncomfortable situation due to accusations of plagiarism tied to Tetris.
Released on March 15 and directed by Jon S. Baird, Tetris is a biopic centered around Henk Rogers and his endeavor to license and patent Tetris before anyone else. While met with a rather modest reception from both critics and the public, the film has been criticized for being overly biased in its positions and excessively sugarcoating what actually happened. But that’s not the end of the story. Just as controversial as the Tetris rights patent is the film itself narrating it, as it has been accused of plagiarism.
Dan Ackerman, Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo, asserts that the movie is an unauthorized adaptation of his book “The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World.” Published in 2016, the book tells the story of Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris. It follows his journey from its inception in the Soviet Union to the licensing of rights to Nintendo, which included the game in a bundle with the Game Boy, creating a massive commercial success. This is also a focus of the film, although from Rogers’ perspective rather than Pajitnov’s.
Given that it is based on real events, it’s difficult to prove any form of plagiarism here. To support his claim, Ackerman states that he sent a copy of his book to Tetris Company in 2016, which they allegedly copied for the movie, and then threatened him with legal action if he attempted to create his own film or television version.
In fact, all of this has indeed made its way to the courts. Ackerman is seeking compensation for damages equivalent to 6% of the movie’s $80 million budget. He alleges that Maya Rogers, CEO of Tetris Company and daughter of Henk Rogers, and screenwriter Noah Pink, who was responsible for the movie’s script, have freely taken numerous sections and specific events from his book. It remains to be seen how this will unfold, but undoubtedly, it seems likely to be as contentious as the story itself regarding the Tetris rights acquisition.
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Fanaticism for 'Tetris' reached such a point that, when in 1993 the Soyuz TM-17 spacecraft was launched from Russia bound for the MIR, inside it was a 49-year-old astronaut who refused to travel without his Game Boy with the game
The conquest of space is full of firsts. The first planet to be seen from a telescope, the first launch, the first lunar trip, the first animal launched by rocket (which, as we know from Mecano, was a dog named Laika)… And, of course, the first video game to ever cross the atmosphere, an honor that goes to, of course, ‘Tetris’.
The history of ‘Tetris‘ is already known to all: Alexey Pajitnov programmed it during 1984 in the Soviet Union, using, in the absence of graphics, dots and levels, brackets and spaces representing the pieces. The rights mess that happened later, when the creator wanted to license his game, is more than well dramatized in the movie of the same name that you can see on Apple TV+ and that ended with the tetraminos accompanying the Game Boy at its launch.
Such was the fanaticism for ‘Tetris’ that, when in 1993 the Soyuz TM-17 spacecraft was launched from Russia bound for the MIR, inside was a 49-year-old astronaut who refused to travel without his Game Boy with the game: Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Serebrov retired two years later after completing hismission and spending 196 days in space circling the Earth 3,000 times. In total, the cosmonaut would get to spend almost 372 days in space between all his missions, getting to give ten rides at zero gravity (which seems unimpressive, but at the time it was a record).
Serebrov had been to space three times before and knew that there was always some time to waste between missions. And, instead of doing nothing or eating his head off, he decided to take his favorite pastime with him: a video game. As he himself said in 1994, “Like all cosmonauts, I love sports. My favorites are soccer and swimming. During the flight, in the rare moments of leisure, I enjoyed playing the Game Boy.” Obviously, while he was passing levels and placing pieces, he did not realize that he was setting a record that was immortalized shortly thereafter in the Guinness Book.
Parentheses in space
Serebrov died on November 12, 2013, and before leaving this world for good (and without a return ticket) he decided to auction his beloved console with the game and the manual. It ended up selling for $1,220 (very little, if you ask us) putting an end to the first video game space adventure. It was not the only one.
There is not much data on astronauts playing video games while on missions, but it is known that in 2014 Samantha Cristoforetti played ‘Minecraft’ on a laptop, despite the fact that these are used exclusively for data collection and work. NASA also reported that in 1998 it was usually played as a way to mentally escape from problems, along with other activities such as listening to music or reading fiction. Ah! And in 2016, Tim Peake uploaded from space a photo in which they tested virtual reality… And a game about aliens. Maybe not the best idea to test in space. For this, better a ‘Tetris’ and at least you do not live in fear of UFOs and, as our parents would say, “the little Martians”.
Outside of space, it has been proven that astronauts can improve their skills – and even save their lives in extreme situations – if they are gamers. But there’s a catch, of course, it’s not worth playing ‘Mario Kart‘: Level Ex is a company that creates specialized medical video games, including some for astronauts. Going for a walk in space has never been so much fun.
At around 170 million copies sold, Tetris is the best-selling game of all time. Of all the millions of people who’ve played Tetris, only one can be the best. At the recent Classic Tetris World Championship, Joseph Saelee established himself as the best Tetris player in the world. It’s worth noting, however, that Saelee is only 16 years old, only a third of the age of the iconic puzzle game. Watch Saelee’s victory below:
Saelee plays the game on the NES, and has only been playing since watching the 2016 championships. He plays exclusively using CRT TV’s, which are those ginormous clunky box TVs everyone had before flatscreens existed. The reason for this is that retro consoles like the NES often have latency (lag between pushing a button and something happening onscreen) when used with HDTVs.
