--- title: Henk Rodgers Wants to Turn Tetris into Spectator Sport description: Would you watch Tetris as a spectator sport? canonical: https://time.com/2923767/one-mans-mission-to-turn-tetris-into-a-spectator-sport/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-26T15:42:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:11:10.174Z og:title: Henk Rodgers Wants to Turn Tetris into Spectator Sport og:description: I mean, people watch golf... og:url: https://time.com/2923767/one-mans-mission-to-turn-tetris-into-a-spectator-sport/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9699ceb257f04afa/69869942169ab02c4327a11d/161065699.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: (KG) FE15STTETRIS -- Tetris fanatics meet every month for intense head-to-head competititon in a double-elimination tournament format. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Henk Rodgers Wants to Turn Tetris into Spectator Sport twitter:description: I mean, people watch golf... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9699ceb257f04afa/69869942169ab02c4327a11d/161065699.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # One Man's Mission to Turn Tetris into a Spectator Sport > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. 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Karl Gehring—Denver Post / Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Jun 26, 2014 3:42 PM UTC In general, the biggest audience you’ll get to showcase your Tetris skills for are the bored commuters sitting next to you on the L train. But Henk Rogers, managing director of The Tetris Company who helped bring the Russian game out of the Soviet Union and into the Western world, has bigger plans for the game than serving as a detox from Tinder swiping. Rogers is on a mission to turn Tetris into a full blown spectator sport. Why hasn’t it happened already? [In an interview with _Wired_,](http://www.wired.com/2014/06/tetris-ultimate/) Roger explained, “Most people have never seen a good game.” And he doesn’t think filling arenas, or at least living rooms, is a huge stretch. After all, Roger explained that when he was a surf bum in the 70’s, no one would ever have imagined it would turn into a lucrative, sponsor driven, athletic activity. People already gather to watch [action-fueled video games.](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/02/professional-video-gaming-global-spectator-sport-study) In 1894, [men gathered in Chicago parks ](http://www.npr.org/blogs/theprotojournalist/2014/04/11/301427196/history-dept-4-strange-sports-in-america-s-past)to watch centipedes and tarantulas fight to the death. And, I mean, a lot of people watch golf. For _hours_. “I think in the next five to 10 years, Tetris will go from being a solitaire game to being a community game, a cooperative game,” Rogers told _Wired_. “I see professional players. I see a Tetris league. I see competition between cities, between colleges. Just like we have athletic teams today, we’ll have Tetris teams.” The only thing is he had a similar mission five to ten years ago. In 2007, [Tetris hosted its first-ever Tetris Cup Challenge. ](http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2007/12/03/focus1.html?page=all)At the time, Rogers told the _Pacific Business News_ that he had dreams to “start up a league of professional Tetris player and start sponsoring tournaments worldwide.” That didn’t really happen. The thing with Tetris is that it can get very repetitive. Alexey Pajitnov, who made the original, told _Wired,_ “We’re still struggling with two-player modes in many versions… I have a feeling that we are not there yet.” But maybe soon. [A next generation version of Tetris](http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/06/04/tetris-ultimate-coming-to-the-playstation-4-and-xbox-one-this-summer/) will be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this summer. Will you invite friends over to get entranced by its _Tron_\-esque sounds and colors? \[[_Wired_](http://www.wired.com/2014/06/tetris-ultimate/)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2923767/one-mans-mission-to-turn-tetris-into-a-spectator-sport/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2923767/one-mans-mission-to-turn-tetris-into-a-spectator-sport/"},"headline":"One Man's Mission to Turn Tetris into a Spectator Sport","datePublished":"2014-06-26T15:42:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:11:10.174Z","description":"Game on","url":"https://time.com/2923767/one-mans-mission-to-turn-tetris-into-a-spectator-sport/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Tech","Sports topic","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9699ceb257f04afa/69869942169ab02c4327a11d/161065699.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9699ceb257f04afa/69869942169ab02c4327a11d/161065699.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"(KG) FE15STTETRIS -- Tetris fanatics meet every month for intense head-to-head competititon in a double-elimination tournament format. 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