A reader writes:
The readers who responded to the Angry Birds rant really missed its point. Yes, Tetris was very popular when it was released on the Game Boy, but this popularity was mostly limited to children and teens. What makes Angry Birds different is that a significant number of adults have become enthused by the game, more so than with any previous video game. And now we have to listen to all these people who have never really played video games wax poetically about Angry Birds' greatness and uniqueness. This is precisely what is so annoying. While it’s a very good game, there really isn’t anything novel about it, other than claiming a bunch of famous writers as fans.
Another complicates that view:
I agree with your reader that pointed to the "big splash" Tetris made initially. And I even experienced the power of Tetris to ensnare even the most unlikely of gamers. When I received my Gameboy for Christmas (can't remember the exact year, probably 1990) I was young enough for Tetris to be enjoyable, but not old enough to avoid intense frustration in the higher levels when those blocks really start moving. As such, during the days following Christmas I became engrossed in building my new Lego models, and my Gameboy was commandeered by my 60-year-old grandmother. She would sit in her easy chair, holding the Gameboy like a calculator in her left hand, using her right index finger, and only her right index finger, to punch the buttons. Despite this considerable mechanical disadvantage, she managed to reach level 90-something, a source of considerable consternation for both me and my dad, who also got into the game big-time, and would play after everyone else had gone to bed. He couldn't beat her score, either.
Another:
The popularity of Tetris, and now Angry Birds, is simple. Both games are easy to learn and quick to play, requiring only a few minutes of spare time to engage. It’s the People magazine model, where one can absorb just enough information for a session on the toilet. In fact, and this is the truth, I have an old Game Boy with Tetris in my bathroom, and it’s used every day.
(Photo via Yfrog user and blogger Gulliver, who proclaims "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my 5-year old nephew's rendering of his favorite distraction.")
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