Tetris: The Games People Play is an award-winning graphic novel by Box Brown detailing the creation of the iconic video game and its convoluted path to gaming consoles. The title has a double-edged meaning. Literally, it is a game that people play. But the games played by people attempting to buy the ownership rights to what started as a side project are fascinating, messy, and eyebrow-raising.
A shout-out to Fantom Comics in Washington, D.C., for having a signed copy of this book on display this summer. I’d never have spotted it otherwise!
What is Tetris: The Games People Play About?
The framing story is about the creation of Tetris by Alexey Pajitnov in the old Soviet Union. He never expected to do anything with the game, save to amuse himself and his friends. He valued games as fun but never considered them as a career. If the story had focused solely on him, it would still be worth reading. But the book also focuses on what happened to the game after its idealistic beginnings.
The game was too fun and immersive not to spread first among a group of friends, then another, and then around the globe. That’s where the messy history comes in. Pajitnov didn’t own the rights to the game. The old Soviet Union held those licensing rights. The committee that controlled the rights was opaque, nearly impossible for Western developers to contact, and, well, sneaky. Some entrepreneurs believed they’d contracted certain rights they did not receive; some of those unscrupulous businessmen manufactured and sold the game anyway. Along the way, an American executive befriended Pajitnov, who then started a new and unexpected career.
Also woven into the story is the history of gaming itself from ancient times, current international rights laws, and the growth of the video game industry.
It’s a terrific story and never loses its main thread: why people love to play games.
The Art of Tetris: The Games People Play
The art is in a two-tone style and is crisp, clear, and clean. Yet it’s not simple. A walk to ponder the meaning of games is full of emotion despite the sparse panels. The death of Robert Maxwell is depicted as an outline of a body next to his yacht, a stark ending for a billionaire who believed himself above the law.
The clearness of the tale is the point. Brown’s artwork is perfectly in tune with his story.
Conclusion:
If you love gaming or are fascinated by its history, this is a must-read. And if you aren’t a gamer, it’s still a great, well-told story that deserved all the accolades it received on publication in 2016.