30 Years Strong: This Is Why You Can't Stop Playing "Tetris" (Video)

The science behind "Tetris" and why the 30-year-old game is as good as ever.

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It was 30 years ago today that a little game about blocks peaked out from behind the iron curtain. Tetris was created by Alexey Pajitnov while he was working for the Soviet Academy of Sciences. What Pajitonov created has become on of the best-loved and most addictive games in history. So why can't you put it down? Dr. Tom Stafford of the Sheffield University explains in this video celebrating World Tetris Day.

It turns out researchers did a lot of the same things with Tetris that have been done with more recently addictive games like Candy Crush Saga in trying to make the game so immersive and easy to use that you can't help but play it. Stafford explains that immersion has nothing to do with graphics or visual effects but how easily a player can interact with the world.

Tetris has been released on nearly every game console since its creation. Even the latest, high-powered Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are getting the multicolored block game. Celebrate World Tetris Day by tossing some blocks in the beautifully simple game.

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[via University of Sheffield]

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