A strange little side quest
Even a quick game like Old School Hangman sits on top of decades — and sometimes centuries — of ideas. 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. Atari's Gran Trak 10 from 1974 is recognized as the first arcade racing video game. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.
