A strange little side quest
One reason puzzles keeps producing good game ideas around Combine Stones is that its history is full of strange turns. Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris in 1984 after drawing inspiration from pentomino puzzles, then simplified the idea around shapes made from four squares. That is only half the story. Pong was field-tested in California bars in 1972 and helped launch the modern arcade-game era. Not bad for a few facts hiding behind a Play button.