Morphology of the tetromino-stacking game: The design evolution of Tetris [Abstract]

This essay presents a focused, comprehensive design study of the tetrominostacking computer puzzle game known as Tetris, tracing the structural history and evolution of the game's subtle yet complex mechanics since its invention in 1985. Although the basic algorithm is quite simple and has remained essentially unchanged throughout its history, the enormous variety of implementations and the longevity of its success across many generations of computing platforms has made the tetromino game a diverse practice of evolutionary game design worthy of historical analysis. Instead of producing a full taxonomy or phylogenetic classification of the genre of computer puzzle games derived from or inspired by Tetris (see eg. Juul 2007), my analysis is intentionally restricted to implementations which recognizably reproduce the original basic algorithm. This approach is comparable to historical analyses of Chess, Go and Mancala which attempt to trace the evolution and distribution of a distinct, identifiable gameplaying practice through various successive iterations while maintaining focus on a canonical form.