A strange little side quest
The next time Master Crescent Solitaire asks for one more try, remember that game ideas rarely appear from nowhere. Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris in 1984 after drawing inspiration from pentomino puzzles, then simplified the idea around shapes made from four squares. The broader history adds one more wrinkle. Space Invaders, released in 1978, helped push video games into mainstream popular culture. Not bad for a few facts hiding behind a Play button.