The Creator of Tetris Talks to Adam Sessler About Game Development in the Soviet Union, Fame, & more

While Adam was in Russia judging the Imagine Cup 2013 Worldwide Finals, he got a chance to sit down with Alexey Pajitnov, the man behind one of the world's most renowned games: Tetris. Learn how the game was developed in the Soviet Union, whether Alexey could forsee its success, and what he thinks about the current state of casual gaming.
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[@evanpeartree]

This man's clearly a genius and he's spouting words of gaming wisdom, but I'm just sitting here like "man Russian accents are cool"

[@thatleprechaun]

Full honesty here, Alexey just seems as though he's just a great guy. Down to Earth, laid back and humble. May the video game Gods bless him.

[@CrashTeamRacingCTR]

He is one of them, at least one of the forefathers of RNG, perhaps one of the mystic gods og RNG

[@BlackSpiderPro]

He's so humble, I really nice character :)

[@Ernireg3]

After watching the gaming historian’s video on tetris, I am sooo happy for this guy!

[@ahorribledude9550]

Same

[@masamune2984]

Same here! :)

[@skumomcbee1255]

Yes! I love this man!

[@Vadim_Sulimov]

That video is stupid CNN style propaganda that has nothing to do with reality. 4 minutes was enough for me, then i went to puke

[@jackyniu5194]

IIdman Yea, the video was filled with fake facts and lies, it is just a massive disgusting anti Soviet propaganda with out much actual history “Praise everything in america while making the Soviet Union sound like hell” Like wtf man, life penalty in Gulag for him blyat

[@AverageAhmad]

The nicest and most humble game dev I've ever seen. Too bad he doesn't get the respect he deserves. Most people don't even know who he is nowadays. :(

[@FiruzeYuldasheva]

Now there is a movie about Tetris on Apple TV ☺️

[@The_ZeroLine]

Most people don’t know the name of any video game developers. But thumbs up anyway cause Alexey is awesome.

[@KBABZ]

Worth noting that the concept of Tetris is based on a Russian puzzle where the goal is to arrange tiles made up of three squares into a square-shaped board. Tetris ups the piece count to four and adds the falling mechanic, as well as line-clearing of course. The recognizable theme is also a Russian folk song. So Tetris is 100% pure Russia!

[@Mafon2]

Nonsense.

[@whatsthebigfukindeal]

+KBABZ im russian and ive never heard about any such puzzle game

[@jonhdoe1395]

+weepingguitars It was a Soviet version of Pentomino.

[@Bruno-hd9qo]

KBABZ Name of that puzzle game? Now im curious 😀😀😀 three squares tri-tris?

[@timvandermeij8029]

The creator, Alexey Pajitnov, originally wanted to base it on Pentomino, which is a board game about arranging shapes made of five squares (sound familiar?). However the shapes involved he felt were too numerous and complex, so he settled on Tetromino shapes instead, where the pieces are made up of four squares!

[@KyleTheSesquipedalia]

This man made one of the greatest games of all time and most certainly one of the mist important. I still play tetris to this day. Huge respect

[@SpellboundWolf]

A very happy 36th anniversary of Tetris to all of you! Thank you, Alexey Pajitnov & all of his friends whom helped make it a reality and eventually finding me in 1999. I still have that 1989 hand-me-down GameBoy cartridge that I received from my older step-brothers when I was but 11 years of age. Tetris is what got me into puzzle video games and still is one of my favorites of all time.

[@ofearghailthefearless6481]

I'm excited for what they'll do for Tetris' 40th anniversary!

[@oscopin74]

The man is a legend. I'm glad he gets the recognition for his brilliant game. He deserves it.

[@Rev3Games]

Glad you guys are digging the interview! We'll have another Big Talk with an industry legend next Wednesday!

[@ChrisRayGun]

This is awesome.

[@dame-e-in1258]

lmao its chris ray gun

[@oyzurioku3607]

7/8 years ago

[@loganwightman1325]

Poor Alexey lost his son to a skiing accident in 2017

[@user-cs2pi5qz4g]

It is lieing his son was smashed by falling blocks

[@retrocollecting4147]

Rip

[@captaincritter1898]

wrong, his son chocked at level 5 and hit the top like a noob and fucking died of shame.

[@presauced]

@@captaincritter1898 bruh

[@wrs6565]

damn you guys are harsh

[@semi-sweet]

I love this guy's accent, though.

[@arkra706]

He russian.but he talk an English )

[@TheVCRKing]

IKR? Its blyatiful.

[@happyalltheday2275]

His accent is to Russian!

[@Chewyness]

He is a great man creating one of the greatest games of all time

[@oculussuluco]

That was a really great interview. A living icon of one of the most memorable games.

[@RogerCRocha]

He made an excellent point on the "abstract vs. realistic" game design approach. Excellent interview. Alexey is charming and humble, as many early game developers are.

[@usulsk]

Yes, I came here after the "Tetris" movie trailer to get to know more.

[@ktburger659]

Here after watching the new movie about Tetris. Alexey seems like a really great guy.

[@idsfxtm5759]

Thank to him! you made 80s child have a good old memories and also tetris inspiration from Berlin wall construction

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

This man is an absolute legend. He made what is essentially the perfect game. Like he said, it's simple and abstract enough to draw anyone in. What wasn't mentioned in this interview is how the game gets it's hooks into you. I owned a GameBoy for years, never buying many games for it, but it was fine, because Tetris came packed in with it.

[@Adaell90]

Tetris is one of my favourite games. i still plug in my old NES to play it. That game is probably the game closest to perfection in my opinion.

[@AKIDPRODUCTION09]

God I love that accent. Huge respect to this man for creating a legendary game.

[@Mordaedil]

A living legend and a great man.

[@FaSCoRP]

Just came back in 2019 to check this interview again

[@z-beeblebrox]

That guy is amazing. From that first big wave of games after Pong, so many designers left the industry and never looked back. But Alexey never gave up on it. He's still designing puzzle games to this day.

[@SuperForRealsWiiGamr]

This guy has my utmost respect. I sadly lost my original copy of Tetris, but I repurchased the game on the Nintendo eShop for 3DS.

[@MrHaydenximba]

tetris is better than call of duty and thats a fact

[@user-cs2pi5qz4g]

CALL OF TETRIS

[@ryanc2115]

@@user-cs2pi5qz4g hahaha

[@KirbyVanPelt]

You're not wrong, but I admit that I enjoy Call of Duty...

[@-Poka-]

Well, but I played these both, I really like playing classic games and modern games, is that weird?

[@MotorworldHype]

This is so huge. Its like the Albert Einstein of the video game industry being interviewed by the Walter Cronkite of the video game industry.

[@MatthewSchellGaming]

Tetris is such a timeless game. I would say more than any other video game.

[@wiilover07]

I love how humble he is. What a nice guy and what a inspiration.

[@WIImotionmasher]

Wow, I loved this interview. Ive never heard from the creator of Tetris before, He he answered the questions in full. Great video

[@bebop0812]

I really enjoyed this, it is exceptional content. Thank you for working to realize the opportunity and make this interview happen

[@Virtualmix]

This man is a Hero

[@PIRATSTEN]

Привет тем, кто посмотрел фильм Tetris:)

[@GameEscape]

Great interview! Tetris is an all time classic and appreciate the time and effort that likely went into setting this up.

[@muckymucks]

Excellent interview. What a treat to hear from one of the masters that put gaming on the map.Thanks, Rev3! Tetris is also beloved because there's no language to learn. A square is a square everywhere. It's easy to play, hard to master, and each game doesn't take too long but you'll want to beat your last time immediately. It's one of the very rare perfect video games.

[@valygomu]

Mister Pajitnov you got my eternal respect

[@Karma20XX]

Great interview Adam. This is the perfect addition to the tech tv / g4 Icons episode featuring Tetris.

[@DanoLefourbe]

Great interview. It was super fun. I loved how you gave Alexey Pajitnov time to answer and make the interview his. I was really happy him talk about his game, I never saw him before that. It was a nice surpise seeing this in my sub box. Congrats to you, and congrats to Mr Pajitniv for making such a fantastic game.

[@n1ghtt3roorz8]

That last sentence he spoke "when you actually see those hundred thousand by your eyes... that make you proud" that pure emotion of "i did it" is the one thing that EVERYONE searches for in life.

[@superclips1326]

I'm here after watching tetris movie, awesome it is as the creator of the game itself.

[@ofearghailthefearless6481]

I knew it! It was his voice I heard in the 1984 stage of Tetris Effect!

[@SinisterScoundrel6562]

Pajitnov is a genius. He was patient about being paid for his game.

[@pleasantml]

This was an awesome opportunity that turned into a really fantastic interview. Thanks Adam! Looking forward to more.

[@mattmaa]

God, I used to spend so much time with tetris. That game had the perfect formula, simple but challenging.

[@kaoskastle]

What a cool interview! Thanks for getting this one, Adam (and the rest of the Rev3 crew)!

[@RaceLunar]

I never thought I'd be this fascinated by a Tetris interview, or the man behind it... good job, and thank you, both of you!

[@Spo8]

I love that Rev 3 is doing stuff like this. Awesome job, Adam.

[@dominoscr]

Awesome! Thanks for interviewing this great contributor and asking excellent questions.

[@batosato]

Alexey Pajitnov seems really down to earth. People such as him gets my respect.

[@BrodyxBrown]

Rev3games was so amazing man! I know something happened behind the scenes and no one has ever came out and said it

[@bozman1678]

In Soviet Russia, game plays you!

[@LongshoremanX]

I was gonna say that :P

[@ecks8065]

bozman1678 yo mama

[@pomiklom2499]

In fat America, game play you!.....

[@smurffart]

Great Documentary! Had a beer with Ben Mullen last night. BTW this was a very good interview. Thanks for taking the time to provide this.

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

0:07 Long time no see Adam Sessler. From a fan of X-Play.

[@reibooi]

Tetris so so ingrained in the good parts of my life(when my grandfather was alive and other family members who deaths hit me very hard) that to this day if I feel really down or depressed I can just play 20 minutes of Tetris and feel so much better. It's also the thing that got me and my sister into gaming and now we both still play stuff but love Tetris(I Believe she still has her original Gameboy with the Tetris pack in) As far as I'm concerned Mr. Pajitnov is gaming royalty if not king.

[@kothe3rd]

Thank you guys for uploading this. So much power behind his words

[@megumichan6928]

Was at my nieces wedding and Alexey hasn't seen me in awhile. I had lost some weight. Alexey said " Lisa you have improved!" LOL.

[@KurisuKagato]

O.O you must be related to Henk. Am i correct?

[@Bdtre13]

All I have to say is if it wasn't for Tetris and Mario I'd probably wouldn't be a gamer thank you Soviet Russia

[@SlavicUnionGaming]

No! ThankYOU

[@Bdtre13]

Soviet Russian183 no problem

[@nipplecollector7256]

Isn't Mario japanese?

[@loganwightman1325]

No. Thank you Alexey Pajitnov! Soviet Russia was evil! They took all of his royalties and excluded him from all international relations. He was like property to them. Watch Gaming Historian's "the story of tetris" video

[@wersab5960]

and japan

[@ihath]

Tetris has given me hours and hours of pleasure. Nice to know a little about its history.

[@o0SayNoMore0o]

Nuff respect to @AdamSessler for getting this interview #EPIC

[@lukahmad5683]

Man, not even the game itself is perfect, the music too. Onced I play it when I was kid, the music stuck in my mind and I love to sing it xD Mr Alexey Pajitnov, thank you for saving the world from boredom lol

[@TimJSwan]

This has a different impact after watching Tetris where he apparently was more of an action character who risked his life.

[@Quanicus]

Watching this 10 years later and everything’s digital and we are at the start of the Ai Gen!

[@HalfEmptyETank]

Adam, Thanks for doing this interview! It's important that we look at our past as a games industry just as much as we look to our future and it's hard to argue against how important Alexey Pajitnov to our history.

[@samiyanes1598]

Seriously Adam have a genius approach for interviews and this one was so enjoyable and informative. Just wow

[@ItsJeul]

Two awesome people to watch chat. This could have been an hour longer and I would have enjoyed it! Thanks, guys!

[@ImadKhan1990]

great interview...it almost seemed too short. The guy seems awesome to talk to.

[@oculussuluco]

Im going to play me some Tetris right now.

[@TsakuraWataame]

What a Honor to interview him. Gratz, and thanks for the video.

[@TomTranSG]

I came here because of the Tetris movie trailer in 2023 :)

[@BeardedOTP]

Awesome, this guys story is really interesting. Every time I hear about how rough developers have it with used games, I think back to this.

[@Schneidyman09]

Alexey seems like a pretty awesome dude.

[@rustecohle591]

Good to see Adam Sesslar working I wish Xplay would come back as a KZbin channel with the same hosts

[@MotorworldHype]

The beauty of Einstein's theory of relativity was that he took something very complex and made it elegant through simplicity. The concept of Tetris is simple, elegant, yet holds layers of gameplay and replay-ability. All through something as simple as moving shapes. If the appeal of that is gone so "very quickly" then explain why Tetris remains so popular today and how it literally gave birth to the "puzzle" video game genre?

[@cardkoda]

Is it just me, or does this God among men, have one of the kindest faces ever? Yet he looks so badass. I want to hug him, and thank him for giving me something during my childhood that I love until this day.

[@rxbandit5446]

It's awesome to hear about game development outside of the major markets. Great interview.

[@Tomukus]

What a great opportunity, Adam. Fantastic video!

[@Zephire01]

Great interview with all time favourite classic game creator.

[@Metoollhead]

Great review.. Thanks Sess and Alexey.

[@bganonimouse2754]

Excellent and educational...

[@jsc315]

what a wonderful interview. Thank you

[@thisscreensucks]

awesome to hear the story from someone so important to gaming, and a story most people dont know.

[@MrSofa789]

Thank you 🙏 for what u did creat ❤️

[@PauperPaul]

I wish I had such oppotunities to me these astounding people. Forever shall I live vicariously through Rev3 Games ^_^ Awesome interview Adam.

[@NinjaBusCow]

Awesome and fun interview looking forward to many more.

[@helikaon5]

This is so cool to me. Thanks Adam and Rev3 for doing this interview and thank you Alexey for making the game of my childhood. :D

[@sonic2batt]

Great Interview. My mom got me a Gameboy so she could play Tetris!

[@BishopS]

The Tetris I play on my phone doesn't use touch screen d pads. You just tap anywhere on the screen to rotate, you swipe left or right to move in those directions, you put your finger on the screen and hold it to make the piece fall faster and you swipe downwards to send the piece straight to the bottom. That seems like the best controls when it comes to playing the game on a touch screen. (in my opinion)

[@Waas]

Good stuff but I can't get over how that pillar in the background seems to be floating to me.

[@EvaFull]

Very cool interview Adam. Can't wait to see what industry icon you get to interview next.

[@ThatNotSoAznKid]

I don't know about anyone else, but I just had a stupid grin on my face the whole time just listening to him talk about something with so much pride.

[@KitaruTC]

One other thing that struck me as odd was that he takes time to mention version specifics such as hard drop. Historically, early Tetris games such as the 1984 electronika60 original _only_ feature hard drop. Soft drop was a later development. He mentions randomization as a requirement. There in fact exist "pure puzzle" modes where the goal is optimization of a preset sequences of pieces: see 1988 Sega Tetris's unintentional Power-On Pattern, FlashPoint, Tetris Grand Master 3's Sakura mode, etc.

[@BearWasD3ad]

I really loved the point he made about simple and abstract styles in game design.

[@TheLunisbadman]

Thank you for not trying to dumb it down and insert subtitles for people who are too ignorant to listen to a man with an accent speak.

[@koddlodd]

Thanks to sessler and tetris-man for being so awesome!

[@hisham031170]

I came here after watching Tetris

[@TheReggaeMortis]

MatthewMatosis recently made a video about Tetris' universal appeal and touched on similar points, actually. It's a good watch

[@ShweetNewKix]

Thanks for uploading. Very informative.

[@BattleManiac7]

Great interview, cool to see the story straight from the man's mouth as well and how it played out for him.

[@tomg5516]

Adam, you're awesome for doing this interview!