Tetris: The Little Game that Took Over the World by Box Brown
/I have a particular set of childhood memories that revolve around my dad and our Nintendo. I think he bought it for us, but he played it way more than we did. He beat the original Mario game and played tons and tons of Tetris. I can't even think of the game without getting the song stuck in my head and wanting to drop block after block. So when Box Brown's Tetris: The Little Game That Took Over the World cruised through my inbox, I knew I HAD to read it. The history of Tetris is fascinating, originating from a Soviet computer engineer's love of puzzles and games. Brown delves a little into game theory to help explain Alexey Pajitnov's motivations as well as the addicting/rewarding nature of Tetris and all other games. Tetris' journey from a research and development center in the U.S.S.R. to worldwide success was long and twisted, with tangled negotiations over rights, altered documents, and unauthorized trips to Soviet government buildings. I devoured this book. I love Brown's minimalist style, which worked so well for Andre the Giant and does well here also. I had no idea how intriguing and influential this game was. I know that teens and adults will adore this book, so it'll be a good addition to the library.
My copy courtesy of First Second Books and Netgalley.