“The Tetris Story” is a book written by Anthony McGlynn. It covers the history of Tetris from its creation to its worldwide impact over the decades.
The book covers a part of Tetris history that rarely gets talked about in depth: the aftermath of the game’s release worldwide.
The first chapters talk about the creation of Tetris and how it quickly spread in popularity, with multiple people racing to get the rights of the game from the Soviet Union. Having seen this story told in other books, documentaries, and a movie, I like how the author tells the story in a way that immerses the readers in this epic thriller in a concise way that doesn’t overwhelm them.
What I was excited to read about was the aftermath of the game’s release worldwide. This was something that was not talked about as much in previous books about Tetris. I liked how the book transitioned from showing the favorable reception to the game to how it became a major esport event at the 1990 Nintendo World Championship. The author really did his research on this, showing the significance of the event through the firsthand accounts from players who had competed in that tournament.
The book also covers the creation of many different versions of Tetris. It was fascinating to read the behind the scenes in the development of the different Tetris games over the years. The behind-the-scenes stories about the development of some of the versions of Tetris were a fascinating read, particularly the way some developers slowly added quality-of-life improvements that ended up becoming a part of more recent Tetris games.
There is a bonus chapter where the author gives his review on nearly all of the official Tetris games. In between those reviews, the readers get to flip through photos of various Tetris games and Tetris tournaments throughout the years. The photos give us a glimpse into what the Tetris tournaments look like and the people that are a part of it.
When reading the book, I found myself immersed in the development of the online Tetris community throughout the 2000s, around a time when the internet was slowly becoming a commonplace in the world. With players competing against each other online, at a time when playing online with other people was not common.
The author had interviewed John “Blink” Tran who goes into details on what it was like to be a part of the online community at the time. I knew Blink had founded the Tetris community, Hard Drop; what I didn’t know was how much of an impact he had on the online community.
As someone that is a fan of the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC), I was wondering how that part of the story would be told. I really liked how the book covered the events of the tournament. With different chapters talking about CTWC, I like how the book created suspense by adding in-between chapters that talk about the cultural impact that Tetris has had in the years between the different CTWC events. With years of history within CTWC, the book does an amazing job telling that story, with insights from players and organizers.
Of course, it’s not a Tetris story without talking about Blue Scuti crashing the game. I enjoyed reading about how Blue Scuti and his family navigated the fame that came afterwards. I don’t have too much to add to this part; it’s better if you read the book.
There’s a lot more in the book than what I have written in this review.
I was impressed by the amount of research the author put into making “The Tetris Story”. The book tells the story in a way that keeps the reader engaged without overwhelming them.
“The Tetris Story” does an amazing job of telling the worldwide impact that Tetris has had over the years. It covers everything from the development of the game to the incredible achievements that have happened over the decades. I especially liked the heartwarming stories of the communities that have formed from Tetris.
“The Tetris Story” is a really good book for anyone who wants to dive into the game’s worldwide impact.
