Henk Rogers on telling the real story of Tetris: ‘I have to set the record straight’

Henk Rogers, the co-founder of Tetris Company Ltd., was inspired to tell the real story of Tetris after reading a movie script that he felt misrepresented his experiences.
The movie script portrayed Rogers’ journey as a high-stakes spy thriller, but Rogers wanted to set the record straight and share the actual events that led to Tetris becoming a global phenomenon.
Rogers wrote a book called “The Perfect Game” to tell the true story of his experiences with Alexey Pajitnov and the complex rights issues surrounding Tetris.
The book expanded on the movie script, revealing more about Rogers’ journey and the people involved in bringing Tetris to platforms like the Game Boy.
Rogers hopes that by sharing his side of the story, he can provide a more accurate understanding of the history of Tetris and its impact on the gaming industry.

A photo of Henk Rogers. — Henk Rogers at the Tetris movie premiere at SXSW in 2023. | Photo: Rick Kern / FilmMagic<br>

When Henk Rogers first read the script for the Tetris movie, he was shocked. “There was so much Hollywood in the movie,” he tells The Verge. “It just drove me nuts.” The film largely follows a pivotal period in Rogers’ life, when he traveled to the Soviet Union to navigate the complex rights issues for Tetris to bring it to platforms like the Game Boy. There, he connected with game’s creator Alexey Pajitnov, with whom he eventually formed a lifelong friendship, and turned Tetris into a global phenomenon.

The movie turned this experience into something resembling a high-stakes spy thriller – and while Rogers ended up loving the final product, that initial experience inspired him to tell the story of what really happened. “While reading the script I said, ‘I have to set the record straight,'” he says.

That story now exists in the form of the book The Perfect Game. While Rogers originally sat down to write about the events that transpired in the movie, he soon realized the story was much bigger than that. “I started writing it, and somebody looked at it and said, ‘That could be a book, it’s just not big enough,'” he explains. “I didn’t want to re …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Q. Who was shocked by the script for the Tetris movie?

A. Henk Rogers, the co-founder of Tetris.

Q. What did Henk Rogers find objectionable about the movie’s script?

A. He found it to be too Hollywood and drove him nuts.

Q. Where did Henk Rogers travel to navigate the complex rights issues for Tetris?

A. The Soviet Union.

Q. Who did Henk Rogers connect with in the Soviet Union that helped turn Tetris into a global phenomenon?

A. Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris.

Q. What was the initial reaction of someone who read Henk Rogers’ book draft about the events depicted in the movie?

A. They thought it could be a book but wasn’t big enough.

Q. Why did Henk Rogers decide to write a book about his experiences with Tetris?

A. He wanted to set the record straight and tell the real story of what happened.

Q. What was the result of Henk Rogers’ book, “The Perfect Game”?

A. It became a book that told the true story of Tetris’ creation.

Q. How did Henk Rogers initially plan to write about his experiences with Tetris?

A. He planned to write a book based on the events depicted in the movie.

Q. What inspired Henk Rogers to tell the real story of Tetris?

A. The Hollywood-tinged script for the movie, which he felt didn’t accurately represent his experiences.

Q. How did Henk Rogers’ friendship with Alexey Pajitnov develop over time?

A. It became a lifelong friendship after their initial meeting in the Soviet Union.