Tetris is one of the most popular and influential video games ever created. It was created by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet computer scientist, in 1984. Right now, the game is available on almost all gaming platforms. The game requires elements of logic, speed and pattern recognition. The famous Tetris theme song is based on the Russian folk tune “Korobeiniki.”
Being a tile-matching puzzle game, players try to stack falling blocks, called Tetrominoes, and create horizontal lines. The play area is a vertical grid, traditionally 10 columns wide and 20 rows high. There are 7 unique Tetrominoes, each composed of 4 square blocks. These include:
Players can move, rotate and drop the Tetrominoes as they fall. The goal of the game is to complete horizontal lines with no gaps. When a line is completed successfully, it clears away and the above blocks shift downwards. But if the blocks stack up to the top the screen, the player looses and the game ends. The difficulty of the game increases with time as the blocks fall faster with tougher shapes.
After being developed in the 1980s, Nintendo secured the console and handheld rights. Electronic Arts (EA) acquired the mobile license for Tetris and released Tetris (Premium), a paid mobile version (about $5). Some versions of Tetris contain power-ups, extra time and themes which can be purchased. Tetris 99 (released by Nintendo in 2019) is a free battle royale for Nintendo Switch. Players must pay $20/year to access it. The game has won numerous awards and is consistently ranked among the greatest games of all time.
Tetris has been increasingly recognised by psychologists and neuroscientists as a tool for supporting mental health. The game helps a lot in post-traumatic recovery and promotes brain wellness. According to a study from Oxford, those who played Tetris experienced fewer intrusive flashbacks compared to people who did not play the game. Tetris uses the same parts of the brain needed to process visual flashbacks. By keeping this part of the brain busy, Tetris may prevent traumatic images from recurring. Research suggests the most effective window to play the game is within 6 hours after the trauma.
Tetris also proves to be beneficial against stress and anxiety. Tetris's repetitive and continuous gameplay can create a sense of flow, which distracts the player and pulls their attention away from distressing and painful thoughts.
Apart from these points, Tetris is widely recognised for supporting cognitive function and brain health and enhancing spatial visualisation (a skill important for STEM fields). It also boosts memory and mental agility.