For many who were born in the 70s and 80s, video games will forever be linked to the image of playing Tetris on the Nintendo Game Boy. The game has maintained its global popularity even today, with countless modern updates keeping it firmly in the public eye. The fact it can be used to improve memory, or even as a way to deal with trauma, has helped to ensure it continues to find a new audience as well as still satisfy its existing one.
During Gamescom LATAM, The Best War Games sat down with The Tetris Company's co-founder Henk Rogers. He gave his thoughts on the ever-changing industry and Tetris' enduring popularity. He also opened up on how he felt about the many Tetris clones that have popped up over the years.
The 15 Best Tetris Video Games Of All Time
Tetris is one of the most well known games ever made. There are plenty of different spins on the classic formula, and these are the best.
Henk Rogers on Copying Games
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tetris' popularity has spawned many copycat games over the years. Rogers is fully aware that, on the one hand, this should be seen as a compliment, and shows that Tetris was a pioneer and the first of its kind. However, he is also under no illusion that many of these clones can reflect poorly on their creators, who he feels would be better placed to put their time and creativity into more unique ventures. He explained,
''When somebody copies the game, one way of looking at it is that it's flattery. I'm flattered that they're doing this. But the second thing I'm thinking is, if you want to make money, if you want to get somewhere, don't copy somebody else's game. That's not art. You haven't created anything, so it's like being a cover band. That's a good comparison. You know you can do better than that.''
Successful Tetris Clones are Dealt With Appropriately
Occasionally, a Tetris clone may become financially successful. When this happens, Rogers and his colleagues act swiftly to ensure their intellectual property is protected. Given the size and scale of The Tetris Company compared to the companies behind some of these clones, it doesn't usually take long to nullify such a threat. Rogers continued,
''Basically, if they make money, we'll definitely step on them. That's how it works. In order to have an intellectual property, you have to protect it. We've gone back and crushed some wannabes when we needed to. So now it's kind of quiet. You don't see any major company coming up with a 'me too' Tetris. There are just a lot of little guys.''
This ruthlessness shows just how protective Rogers is of the Tetris brand. His recent book, The Perfect Game, expands on the movie that was released a few years ago, and highlights the journey that both he and Tetris' creator Alexey Pajitnov went on in order to ensure Tetris turned into the global success that it eventually did. The franchise has endured for more than 40 years and Rogers doesn't see this changing any time soon.
