Tetris turned 40 this 12 months and it’s nonetheless a recreation that folks simply carry on enjoying.
I talked with Maya Rogers, CEO of Tetris, in Riyadh on the New World Sport Convention in Riyadh. She took over years in the past from her father, Henk Rogers, who was immortalized within the Tetris film alongside creator Alexey Pajitnov for bringing Tetris to huge international audiences.
A bit biased, she thinks of Tetris as the right recreation, and she or he stated, “We don’t want to mess with that.” She’s touring the world is search of latest alternatives to make sure it stays a recreation that oldsters and children play collectively.
Maya Rogers’ job has been to maintain developing with new types of Tetris on new platforms, comparable to taking the sport to McDonald’s toy giveaways, the Tetris film, Tetris 99, Tetris Related, Puyo Puyo Tetris and extra to place the sport in entrance of a brand new technology of players.
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Among the many new markets she is happy about is the Center East, the place there are tons of younger players and girls getting into the workforce to make video games. In actual fact, Maya Rogers stated she would like to see the right recreation turn out to be a part of the Esports Olympics, which is coming to Saudi Arabia.
Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Disclosure: NGSC paid my strategy to Riyadh and GamesBeat was a media accomplice for the occasion.
GamesBeat: What was your discuss at this convention?
Maya Rogers: The recipe for [our success is that] Alexey Pajitnov created the right recreation. Everybody is aware of methods to play it. It’s simple to enter and tough to grasp. That’s helped. And naturally staying related, being out there on each platform the place players go. Wherever video games are performed, Tetris is offered. We’re prime of thoughts for customers everywhere in the world. That’s one of many keys. In fact, sustaining true to the core of the sport. Is it a Tetris recreation? Does it evoke that very same pleasure while you play? Honoring the music, the gameplay, and the historical past. These are all issues that wrap round how we keep related.
GamesBeat: It looks like you’re at all times searching for these moments for a revival. A strategy to hold it contemporary for individuals to seek out it.
Rogers: It’s been an attention-grabbing journey. We’ve gone past video games. We’ve had the Tetris film. It’s an iconic model. We wish to lengthen it into a life-style. It’s not only a online game anymore. However even inside video video games, we’ve innovated with video games like Tetris 99, Tetris Related, Puyo Puyo Tetris. Totally different contact factors that attain a youthful technology of players.
Relying on who you ask, they’ve all performed Tetris, however they’ve a unique story. For me it’s the Sport Boy and the NES. Speak to another person–we have been in Cologne. I used to be speaking to a 23-year-old bartender. They stated, “Oh, yes, I love Tetris. I played the old school version on my phone.” For him that’s old skool. Tetris remains to be related. The preliminary contact level simply is determined by who you ask. What’s lovely about that, each one who’s performed Tetris has that have. “I remember this game that I used to play.”
GamesBeat: That is your second time right here in Riyadh. What has introduced you again?
Rogers: I’m glad I got here final 12 months, as a result of it was a giant studying expertise. You see the dedication and the ability that’s behind the business. I stated to somebody earlier, you get to construct a brand new business right here with the youthful technology, the youthful workforce. There are such a lot of ladies. They’re encouraging ladies to turn out to be programmers and animators. They will mould how this business goes to be constructed for the longer term.
GamesBeat: It’s been fascinating to see how gaming and esports can propel social change.
Rogers: We owe it to ourselves. For me personally, local weather change and sustainability, that’s such a giant issue. It must be represented. How can we characterize that in a online game in order that it’s not simply an afterthought, however we’re contributing to it? From prime to backside, that’s one thing I’m keen about. How can we incorporate sustainability into our on a regular basis lives? Everyone seems to be affected by it.
GamesBeat: Is there a selected mission to perform within the Center East?
Rogers: The attention is right here. For lots of us who’re coming from the west, coming to the MENA area, seeing it for the primary time, you’re simply astonished. There’s such a fanfare, such a presence for video video games right here. It’s to not be neglected. Now that we’re right here and seeing the joy, we would like to have the ability to do extra. It’s all international now. All the things is international. We’re all linked. I’m very excited to be right here.
GamesBeat: What do you see as an excellent internet end result that might come out of exploring this area?
Rogers: They simply introduced the Esports Olympics. Tetris could be the good recreation for the Olympics. It’s a world model. It’s iconic, identical to the Olympics. Everybody is aware of it. That may be the right marriage. If let’s imagine that we’re an Olympic sport, that actually legitimizes the online game business. It stands in opposition to this notion that video video games could possibly be unhealthy for you.
GamesBeat: How do you come to consider points round human rights, ladies’s rights and so forth, versus the hope they’ve for the longer term?
Rogers: With each tradition there’s some type of shift that occurs. Should you take a look at all of the international locations that “become westernized,” they’ve gone by way of this shift. There’s lots of negativity, however it’s all politics, I really feel. Once you journey the world and meet individuals from completely different cultures, you understand that we’re all the identical. It’s not about, “Your culture’s bad.” There’s custom. That needs to be revered.
Once more, it’s a novel place to be in. I used to be capable of go to Bhutan a few years in the past. That’s one other instance of–they bypassed cable TV and went straight to cellphones. How do you continue to hold your tradition whereas adapting to a brand new world? Saudi Arabia is an ideal instance of a rustic shifting with a brand new technology and seeing quick change. Some issues could by no means change, and that’s okay. We must always respect everybody from all cultures, identical to we do in Tetris. We’re all colours, we’re all completely different, however all of us might be collectively.
The truth that we’ve been round so lengthy is as a result of–it’s true of Henk and Alexey. Two individuals from vastly completely different elements of the world who got here along with a standard love of video games. It’s thrilling to see that occuring right here in Saudi Arabia.
GamesBeat: Once you’re operating the corporate, how do you take a look at completely different alternatives? How do you resolve when one thing is price doing with Tetris? You haven’t gone off on sidequests with lots of different video games. You’ve taken this one factor and seen how far it goes.
Rogers: Earlier than I began operating the corporate, we have been doing different video games. However finally Tetris was the golden egg. We realized that, once more, it’s an ideal recreation, an evergreen recreation. How can we guarantee that transcends time and every thing else? That’s been the largest factor for us. Once we take a look at our recreation and our model, we at all times take into consideration the gamers, our prospects. People who work together with the model. What do they need? If that is smart for the model, it is smart for Tetris–it’s about being a part of this transmedia world the place, as a fan, we should always be capable to have interaction with the manufacturers we love.
That’s how I feel in the present day’s business has modified a bit. Earlier than it was type of a one-way avenue. Now it’s each approach. It’s not simply video video games. It’s leisure and way of life. The entire above. Once we take a look at which new alternatives to go after, we take into consideration, who’s our consumer base? Does it make sense for them? Does it carry them pleasure?
GamesBeat: There are every kind of issues you’ll be able to nonetheless do. You may get into automobiles. You may get into airplanes. You may get into wearables.
Rogers: We’re already in airplanes. We’re most likely in lots of locations you haven’t seen but. When Mercedes launched their EQS electrical automobile we have been embedded there. Wherever video games are performed, Tetris might be.
GamesBeat: What do you see sooner or later for the Tetris Firm?
Rogers: Tetris has withstood time for many years. It’s a recreation that can proceed on like chess has, like many sports activities have. We don’t see it as a one-and-done kind of factor. It comes again to being the right recreation. We don’t wish to mess with that.
