A strange little side quest
Put Beijing Hidden Objects next to the history of puzzles and a few unexpected connections appear. The name Tetris combines a reference to four-square pieces with Pajitnov's interest in tennis. A second detail makes the picture even better: In 1958, Tennis for Two used an analog computer and an oscilloscope to turn simple physics into a playable tennis-like demonstration. That long chain of experiments is part of why puzzles still feels fresh when a game finds the right twist.
