Tetris Creator Makes Public Appearance During DICE Summit

LAS VEGAS -- This year's DICE Summit -- Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain -- witnessed a rare public appearance by Tetris game creator Alexey Pajitnov. The event, which took place Feb. 3-6 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino here, saw videogame executives, designer, and publishers from around the world pack into the hotel to discuss and shape the future of games.

Pajitnov's lecture retraced the unlikely beginnings of Tetris in the former Soviet Union, along with its equally implausible popularity among gamers. He discussed various legal battles and corporate transitions that have shaped the game's celebrity across various play formats.

Joining Pajitnov on the DICE stage was Tetris Co. managing director Henk Rogers, who first licensed the game for Western players at the height of the Cold War in the 1980s.

"The day before [we met], I was told, a small potato businessman has come to visit, would I like to meet him?" Pajitnov recalled for the audience. "When we started talking, I realized for the first time, I met a real game designer. The knowledge of the stuff, the passion for the game, that's something you can't hide. We start liking each other right away, even surrounded by all these bureaucrats."

According to Pajitnov and Rogers, the "Tetris" movie will be a reality, while the company is currently conducting experiments to see if the classic game is suitable for a virtual reality format provided by such systems as Oculus Rift.

As for videogames in general, the pair view them as not only an integral part in consumers' entertainment options, but also having deep societal implications.

"One hundred years ago, people played sports to prepare themselves for a life of physical activity," Rogers said. "Today, when we play computer games, we prepare ourselves for a future in which most of what we do is inside of virtual worlds. The practice of playing computer games is exactly what our children need to prepare themselves for a lifetime of virtual labor."

The DICE Summit is sponsored by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, a not-for-profit organization with more than 20,000 members.