Gaming news roundup

I’ve still not finished Tetris, says creator

As Alexey Pajitnov invented ‘Tetris’ – arguably the greatest gameof all time – more than 25 years ago, you would have thought he would have moved on by now. Well, not according to an interview he gave to the gaming website Gamasutra.com, in which he reveals that he is still trying to perfect his creation, despite the game being developed in 1984 and selling more than 125 million copies since. “We are working on multiplayer versions formore than 10 years,” he said. “I’ve been trying to design it. I should admit that we are not quite there yet.” Some of the iterations of ‘Tetris’ that have appeared since the original have had the option for players to play each other, but Pajitnov recognises there are obstacles to doing it successfully. “If you play on the high level… you play on the edge of your abilities, in terms of the speed and reaction, and everything,” he said. “So, you kind of have no brain resources to observe what the other people are doing.”

Third of UK adults say they are gamers

Video games are an accepted part of the mainstream, but it feels good to be reminded just how many people enjoy gaming as a pursuit. According to a survey conducted by the videogames bodies ELSPA and ISFE, a rather large 32 per cent of adults in the UKconsider themselves to be gamers. Less surprising, perhaps, is that the proportion is much higher among the younger demographics – for those aged between 16 and 19, 74 per cent say the same.

Nintendo sets out to find top Wii players

If you fancy yourself as a wizard on the Wii, you will welcome the news that Nintendo is set to host the inauguralWii Games. Starting this month, heats will be held as contestants battle against each at five Wii staples – Wii Fit’s hula-hoop game, basketball and bowling from‘Wii Sports Resort’, ‘NewSuper Mario Bros.’ and ‘Mario Kart’ – before a grand final. The bad news? The competition is currently only being held in the US, so cross your fingers for an international version.