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id=fixMenuHeight>UNCODE.fixMenuHeight();</script> <div class=main-wrapper><div class=main-container><div class=page-wrapper><div class=sections-container><div id=page-header><div class="header-wrapper header-uncode-block"><div data-parent=true class="vc_row portfolio-header row-container with-parallax" id=row-unique-0><div class="row-background background-element"><div class=background-wrapper><div class="background-inner lazy" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center center;background-size: cover;" data-bg=url(https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/welltris_4.gif)></div><div class="block-bg-overlay style-color-jevc-bg" style="opacity: 0.5;"></div></div></div><div class="row single-top-padding no-bottom-padding single-h-padding limit-width row-parent row-header" data-minheight=320><div class="wpb_row row-inner"><div class="wpb_column pos-middle pos-center align_left column_parent col-lg-12 single-internal-gutter"><div class="uncol style-dark" ><div class=uncoltable><div class="uncell no-block-padding" ><div class=uncont ><div class="vc_custom_heading_wrap "><div class="heading-text el-text" ><h1 class="fontsize-356422" ><span>My Life in a Bush of Tetris</span></h1></div><div class=clear></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><script id=script-row-unique-0 data-row=script-row-unique-0 class=vc_controls>UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("row-unique-0"));</script></div></div></div><div class="header-scrolldown style-dark"><i class="fa fa-angle-down"></i></div></div></div><script>UNCODE.initHeader();</script><article id=post-5595 class="page-body style-light-bg post-5595 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-retro"><div class=post-wrapper><div class=post-body><div class=row-container><div class="row row-parent un-sidebar-layout col-std-gutter no-top-padding no-bottom-padding limit-width"><div class=row-inner><div class=col-lg-9><div class="post-content style-light"><div data-parent=true class="vc_row row-container" id=row-unique-1><div class="row limit-width row-parent"><div class="wpb_row row-inner"><div class="wpb_column pos-top pos-center align_left column_parent col-lg-12 single-internal-gutter"><div class="uncol style-light" ><div class=uncoltable><div class="uncell no-block-padding" ><div class=uncont ><div class=uncode_text_column ><p>Remember Tetris? In the early 1990s, I had the privilege of working at <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum_HoloByte target=_blank rel=noopener>Spectrum Holobyte</a> as a <a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/my-resume/ >game artist</a> in the PC video game industry. It was a time of great innovation and creativity in the gaming world, and I was lucky enough to work on some groundbreaking projects, including several Tetris spinoff games.</p><h2>The Tetris creator himself</h2><p>One of the most exciting parts of my work was collaborating with the legendary <a href=https://tetris.com/bios target=_blank rel=noopener>Alexey Pajitnov</a>, the creator of Tetris. Together, we worked on games like Welltris and Faces, which were inspired by the classic puzzle game but added new twists and challenges for players.</p><p>Working with Alexey was a true honor, and I was constantly amazed by his creativity and imagination. He had a unique way of looking at the world and approaching game design that was both innovative and inspiring. I learned a lot from him during our time together, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside such a legendary figure in the gaming industry.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div><script id=script-row-unique-1 data-row=script-row-unique-1 class=vc_controls>UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("row-unique-1"));</script></div></div></div><div data-parent=true class="vc_row row-container" id=row-unique-2><div class="row limit-width row-parent"><div class="wpb_row row-inner"><div class="wpb_column pos-top pos-center align_left column_parent col-lg-6 single-internal-gutter"><div class="uncol style-light" ><div class=uncoltable><div class="uncell no-block-padding" ><div class=uncont ><div class="uncode-single-media text-left"><div class=single-wrapper style="max-width: 100%;"><div class="tmb tmb-light tmb-media-first tmb-media-last tmb-content-overlay tmb-no-bg"><div class=t-inside><div class=t-entry-visual><div class=t-entry-visual-tc><div class=uncode-single-media-wrapper><img fetchpriority=high decoding=async class="wp-image-5597 lazy" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20640%20350'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/welltris_4.gif width=640 height=350 alt="Welltris for MS DOS" data-srcset="https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/welltris_4.gif 640w, https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/welltris_4-350x191.gif 350w" data-sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="wpb_column pos-top pos-center align_left column_parent col-lg-6 single-internal-gutter"><div class="uncol style-light" ><div class=uncoltable><div class="uncell no-block-padding" ><div class=uncont ><div class="uncode-single-media text-left"><div class=single-wrapper style="max-width: 100%;"><div class="tmb tmb-light tmb-media-first tmb-media-last tmb-content-overlay tmb-no-bg"><div class=t-inside><div class=t-entry-visual><div class=t-entry-visual-tc><div class=uncode-single-media-wrapper><img decoding=async class="wp-image-5600 lazy" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20640%20400'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-src=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/facestris.png width=640 height=400 alt="Faces - Tetris Game" data-srcset="https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/facestris.png 640w, https://matthewcarlstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/facestris-350x219.png 350w" data-sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><script id=script-row-unique-2 data-row=script-row-unique-2 class=vc_controls>UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("row-unique-2"));</script></div></div></div><div data-parent=true class="vc_row row-container" id=row-unique-3><div class="row limit-width row-parent"><div class="wpb_row row-inner"><div class="wpb_column pos-top pos-center align_left column_parent col-lg-12 single-internal-gutter"><div class="uncol style-light" ><div class=uncoltable><div class="uncell no-block-padding" ><div class=uncont ><div class=uncode_text_column ><h2>Tetris was for kids at Blue Planet Software</h2><p>But my work on Tetris didn’t end there. Later on, I worked as an animation consultant on Kid’s Tetris, a game developed by <a href=https://blueplanetsoftware.com/ target=_blank rel=noopener>Blue Planet Software</a>, which was owned by Henk Rogers, the main character of the new <a href=https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tetris/umc.cmc.4evmgcam356pzgxs2l7a18d7b target=_blank rel=noopener>Tetris movie</a>. It was a great experience, and I was thrilled to be part of such an innovative project.</p><p>As an animation consultant, my role was to help create the visual design and animation for the game, which was geared towards younger players. It was a challenging task, but one that I was excited to take on. I worked closely with the development team to create colorful, engaging visuals that would capture the attention of young players and keep them coming back for more.</p><p>Looking back on my time working on Tetris and its spinoff games, I feel a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. It was an exciting and challenging time in the gaming industry, and I feel lucky to have been part of it. The lessons I learned during that time have stayed with me throughout my career, and I am grateful for the experience.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div><script id=script-row-unique-3 data-row=script-row-unique-3 class=vc_controls>UNCODE.initRow(document.getElementById("row-unique-3"));</script></div></div></div></div><div class="post-footer post-footer-light style-light no-top-padding double-bottom-padding"><div class=post-share><div class="detail-container margin-auto"><div class="share-button share-buttons share-inline only-icon"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="col-lg-3 col-widgets-sidebar "><div class="uncol style-light"><div class=uncoltable><div class="uncell double-top-padding double-bottom-padding"><div class=uncont><aside id=search-2 class="widget widget_search widget-container collapse-init sidebar-widgets"><form action=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/ method=get><div class=search-container-inner> <input type=search class="search-field form-fluid no-livesearch" placeholder=Search… value name=s title="Search for:"> <i class="fa fa-search3"></i></div></form></aside><aside id=recent-posts-2 class="widget widget_recent_entries widget-container collapse-init sidebar-widgets"><h3 class="widget-title">Recent Posts</h3><ul> <li> <a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/my-life-in-a-bush-of-tetris/ aria-current=page>My Life in a Bush of Tetris</a> </li> <li> <a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/some-samples-of-recent-ui-ux-visual-design-work/ >Some Samples of Recent UI/UX & Visual Design Work</a> </li> <li> <a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/the-coronapocalypse-file-this-under-uh-oh/ >Coronapocalypse – Storms’ a brewin</a> </li> <li> <a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/pixel-pusher/ >I used to be a pusher… of pixels</a> </li> <li> <a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/books/ >Books as design</a> </li></ul></aside><aside id=categories-2 class="widget widget_categories widget-container collapse-init sidebar-widgets"><h3 class="widget-title">Categories</h3><ul> <li class="cat-item cat-item-11"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/design/ >Design</a> </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-13"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/uiux/ >UI/UX</a> </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-15"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/photography/ >Photography</a> </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-10"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/animation/ >Animation</a> </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-12"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/retro/ >Retro</a> </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-17"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/istanbul-portraits/ >Istanbul portraits</a> </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-84"><a href=https://matthewcarlstrom.com/category/snafu/ >Snafu</a> </li></ul></aside></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="row-container row-navigation row-navigation-light"><div class="row row-parent style-light limit-width"><nav 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