The author of "The Journey to Cadenza" and "How the Rainbow Hearts Form as One" is back with brand new reading material. "The Culture Behind TETRIS" is a critical analysis focusing on the historical, cultural, and musical aspects of the interactive...
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TETRIS, a block stacking and line eliminating game, has been a global phenomenon since the nineteen eighties. It reached many gamers across the planet after the Soviet government praised the game for its addictive fun. Through gameplay, along with musical tunes and visual depictions of historic landmarks, all of those elements give TETRIS a taste of Eurasian Culture. This is a game filled with rotating shapes and architectural buildings such as the St. Basil Cathedral.
The game allows the player to eliminate horizontal lines by positioning the pieces in certain sections of the grid. To position the pieces, they have to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise when simultaneously moving horizontally or vertically on the screen. The individual pieces cannot move upward controllably because they all drop down with a gravitational force. However, if a large pile is created, and that the tetrominos reach the top of the grid, the game is over. It is best to use up the space provided on the grid rather than keeping the space empty. Eliminating lines without leaving empty gaps on the grid reduces the chance of ending the game. In some versions, the object of the game is to clear many lines and earn points whether it is played endlessly or under a time limit. One may change the settings and have the game either include the time limit or allow the player to play endlessly.
Legend has it that the game was originally released during the last few years of the Cold War. The elimination of pairs of four horizontal lines can be compared to how the Berlin Wall was constructed and then physically taken down. The game probably had a hidden message that predicted how the Cold War would have a possible ending.
The depictions of the St. Basil Cathedral, with colorfully patterned domes underneath the minarets, also give the game a taste of Russian Culture. Apparently, the programmers wanted to allow the players to experience what the land of Russia has to offer. The St. Basil Cathedral is a historically important piece of architecture and apparently stands out to be an iconic figure. Therefore, the programmers wanted to express the game's decorative appearance by including architectural and environmental sceneries.
Over the years, the colors and designs of the tetrominos have been modified for different consoles and handheld devices. As in the case of Alexey Pajitnov's original version, the tetronimos only appear in "light green." Soon, after his first version of TETRIS became popular in the USSR, many modifications featuring "colorful" tetrominos were made for the later releases. The features that make the game appealing to the human eyes are as follows: variety of colors, geometric patterns, and decorative landmarks behind the grid. The game delivers an artistic display of colors and shapes along with carefully crafted backgrounds depicting historic landmarks.
The tunes used in TETRIS are either folk, Baroque, or classical tunes. The reason for the inclusion of this particular feature is because it gives the game a taste of Eurasian culture. After all, TETRIS did originate from Russia. Many versions of the game are culturally rich in sound despite its limitations of song tracks. Some versions have the option of three tunes for the player to listen to during gameplay. "Korobeiniki" ("Коробейники") (or "Type-A" on the GameBoy version) gives the game distinct character because "Korobeiniki" is Russian for the English term "peddlers." In that case, the tetronimos are being rotated in peddling motions. Not only are the tetronimos being rotated in peddling motions, the title of the song appropriately fits with the game. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" (or "Type-A" on the Nintendo Entertainment System version) also provides a taste of culture because the song is from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker." One can tell that the "8-bit chiptune" of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" features pretty chord progressions and short staccatos. Staccatos (stuh-KAW-doh) are shorter notes while the long notes are 'legatos' (luh-GAW-doh). These particular dynamics in the song sound as if the tetronimos drop from the sky. "French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814: Minuet" (or Type-C on the GameBoy version) was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). In fact, Bach was born in Eisenach and died in Leipzig. Eisenach and Leipzig are located in the eastern part of Germany. During the Cold War, those particular locations did become part of the East German sector under the Eastern Bloc. Apparently, Nintendo must have selected a known piece of work from a composer who settled in areas that were once occupied under the Warsaw Pact. Not only was TETRIS first produced by a Russian programmer, but also underwent some revisions by Nintendo. Nintendo must have done historic research and detected musical elements that appropriately fit with their GameBoy adaptation. Therefore, one of Bach's compositions appears in that version of TETRIS.
Basically, the game Alexey Pajitnov introduced to his fellow comrades in the Soviet Government turns out to be a cult classic. TETRIS began to attract many gamers across the globe after it was ported to home computers and home consoles. Over the years, however, the graphics constantly appear differently. With TETRIS undergoing several modifications and refurbishments, does the game still have a taste of Eurasian culture to this day? In other words, does it feature the same tunes including "Korobeiniki" or "French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814: Minuet?" Does it still display the same architectural landmarks including the St. Basil Cathedral? Has there been any additional elements portrayed in the later versions of TETRIS? In other words, has the taste of Eurasian culture been blended with tastes of international or metropolitcan cultures? If so, what are the significant relationships between those elements and how do they share the characteristics in TETRIS? To this day, although violent and brutal games are flooding the video game market, is TETRIS still considered a popular game to play?
