'The original Tetris was a survival game': The man who prised Tetris out of the Soviet system recalls how different it once was

Today sees the publication of Henk Rogers' memoir, The Perfect Game—Tetris: From Russia With Love. Rogers has had a long and storied career in the games industry, but he will undoubtedly always be best-known for his association with Tetris, and in particular his leading role in extricating it from the Soviet bureaucracy and getting the game's creator, Alexey Pajitnov, the credit and money he deserved.

The book is a rollicking read, with the Soviet sections in the 1980s almost veering into John Le Carre territory at points...