Tetris is a firm favourite among classic game lovers, but not a lot of people know the disturbing story of one of the game’s co-creators, Vladimir Pokhilko. The Russian professor was a researcher of the human mind, and made the genius discovery that people have a subconscious desire to put things in perfect order, thus making Tetris so addictive.
After being highly successful, he fell into a number of financial difficulties which caused him to suffer a major depressive episode (colloquially known as a mental breakdown). He murdered his wife Elena Fedotova and their son Peter before slashing his own throat. After finding the three bodies, police discovered a suicide note left by Pokhilko. The chilling note read:
“I’ve been eaten alive. - Vladimir. Just remember that I exist. - The Devil.”
