For many who were born in the 70s and 80s, video games will forever be linked to the image of playingTetrison the Nintendo Game Boy. The game has maintained its global popularity even today, with countless modern updates keeping it firmly in the public eye. The fact it can beused to improve memory, or even as a way to deal with trauma, has helped to ensure it continues to find a new audience as well as still satisfy its existing one.
During Gamescom LATAM, Game Rant sat down with The Tetris Company’s co-founder Henk Rogers. He gave his thoughts on the ever-changing industry andTetris' enduring popularity. He also opened up on how he felt about the manyTetrisclones that have popped up over the years.
Henk Rogers on Copying Games
Perhaps unsurprisingly,Tetris' popularity has spawned many copycat gamesover the years. Rogers is fully aware that, on the one hand, this should be seen as a compliment, and shows thatTetriswas a pioneer and the first of its kind. However, he is also under no illusion that many of these clones can reflect poorly on their creators, who he feels would be better placed to put their time and creativity into more unique ventures. He explained,
‘‘When somebody copies the game, one way of looking at it is that it’s flattery. I’m flattered that they’re doing this. But the second thing I’m thinking is, if you want to make money, if you want to get somewhere, don’t copy somebody else’s game. That’s not art. You haven’t created anything, so it’s like being a cover band. That’s a good comparison. You know you can do better than that.’’
Successful Tetris Clones are Dealt With Appropriately
Occasionally, aTetrisclone may become financially successful. When this happens, Rogers and his colleagues act swiftly to ensure theirintellectual property is protected. Given the size and scale of The Tetris Company compared to the companies behind some of these clones, it doesn’t usually take long to nullify such a threat. Rogers continued,
‘‘Basically, if they make money, we’ll definitely step on them. That’s how it works. In order to have an intellectual property, you have to protect it. We’ve gone back and crushed some wannabes when we needed to. So now it’s kind of quiet. You don’t see any major company coming up with a ‘me too’Tetris. There are just a lot of little guys.’’
This ruthlessness shows just how protective Rogers is of theTetrisbrand. His recent book,The Perfect Game, expands on themovie that was released a few years ago, and highlights the journey that both he andTetris’ creator Alexey Pajitnov went on in order to ensureTetristurned into the global success that it eventually did. The franchise has endured for more than 40 years and Rogers doesn’t see this changing any time soon.
