10 Video Game Characters Before They Were Famous

9. Tetrominos

VBFF Cover
Alexey Pajitnov/Bullet Proof Software

First Appearance: 1984

'Character' might be pushing it a bit for these blocky foursomes. Years before they arrived on the Game Boy from Russia, with love, Alexey Pajitnov's magical tetrominos were forming lines in the USSR like Soviet citizens queuing up to buy a banana.

A government funded project, one wonders what Russia could have achieved if their top scientists hadn't been fannying about making puzzle games.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.