Tetris was invented by Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian-American video game designer and computer engineer. The first version of Tetris was created in the Computer Center of the Moscow Academy of Science and used an Electronika 60 microcomputer.

Tetris is an electronic puzzle game that was first designed and debuted in 1984. The inspiration for the game itself came from Pajitnov's passion for puzzles and games. As a game, Tetris gave a whole new form to puzzle games that had falling pieces, formally called Tetriminos, with players able to arrange them in real time on the matrix or the rectangular playing field to be able to remove lines.

The game has snared many different awards such as the 2007 Penguin Award for casual games market pioneer and second place overall for Top Console Game of all time in 2009 from Guinness World Records.

There has been debate as to how computer games and technological games in general aid children's learning in comparison to traditional learning and its methods. Evidently, it would be easy to think that, for the current generation, such technological innovations would provide more fruitful avenues for better and more worthwhile learning for children.

However, some research shows that games may fail to be an effective platform for the training and sharpening of cognitive skills. For example, Pilegard and Mayer conducted a study, published in the Contemporary Educational Psychology journal in 2018, entitled "Game over for Tetris as a platform for cognitive skill training," that proved this notion using the explanation of the high-speed environment within which computer games thrive and function. This environment contrasts sharply with the preferred learning environment, which operates through reflection, effort and the fusion of information and stock knowledge.

The participants in Pilegard and Mayer's study were unable to show new insights in six cognitive skills after they played Tetris as opposed to the participants who did not. According to the authors, Tetris did not exhibit any ability as a platform for the advancement of cognitive abilities, further emphasizing that the idea that high-speed computer games enhance very niche skills ultimately is not the case.

Conversely, another study by Holmes et al. in 2009 suggested that Tetris does offer benefits for the betterment of mental health and mental disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Holmes et al. stated in a PLOS One journal that because Tetris functions as a visuospatial computer game, it can act as interference against flashbacks, resulting in their reduction as long as it is played with other similar tasks through a timed memory consolidation window.

Ever since its debut, Tetris has undergone many modifications and upgrades, particularly given the 83 variants mentioned in Wikipedia. As of 2010, it had been ported to more than 65 different platforms. In fact, it was hailed as the most ported game by Guinness World Records. In recent years, it has also received more upgrades and developments, leading to the latest version or variant called Tetris Effect: Connected, which was made available in 2021 in both Mac and Windows platforms.

This new version was developed by Enhance Games. It carries special controllers such as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Modifications and advancements include adding stages, which now number more than 30. According to a review written by Metacritic, Tetris Effect: Connected is Tetris like never before; the usual Tetris playing experience is amplified so the user feels completely immersed within the ultimately 3D world of Tetrimino blocks.

The music, backgrounds, sounds and special effects are all synchronized, which completes the experience for the user. It may appear to be just another Tetris game at first glance, but it also includes an innovative "Zone" mechanic in which time stops, giving the illusion of entering a transcendent flow state and allowing the player to clear even more lines all the way to the top, according to a New Musical Express article from 2021.

In terms of the soundtrack, it happens to be progressive, following a verse to chorus flow that is highly dependent on the line tally cleared, the tempo, and the overall game speed. The New Musical Express article states that this is where the new version is different to a usual Tetris game in which the music just speeds up.

Tetris has been well-loved for decades and generations. It is a popular game that means different things to different individuals. If you feel bored or depressed, you can play a traditional Tetris online at https://tetris.com/play-tetris, https://www.freetetris.org/game.php and https://www.goodoldtetris.com.

Rushan Ziatdinov (ziatdinov.rushan@gmail.com) is a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Keimyung University, Daegu. In 2010-2011, he was a postdoc in the College of Engineering at Seoul National University.