Tetris: the "definition of a virtual sport"

Tetris father Alexey Pajitnov thinks his creation can adapt to fit a world where mental fitness will soon replace physical fitness.

Pajitov and Tetris Company co-founder Henk Rogers explained that Tetris sells more copies now than ever, thanks to mobile phones, and that the Western world will soon emulate the casual-game explosion of Korea.

"People ask me, 'Are you still alive? I think you are a legend,'" Pajitnov told Kotaku. "I expected [Tetris] to be a good game - not worse than anything else. I never expected this."

Henk Rogers added: "We are going to turn Tetris into the first real virtual sport. Sports like baseball and football were created at a time when our future was a lifetime of physical activities and physical fitness. But now that's not as important, it's more about mental fitness today.

"Tetris is a virtual sport that exercises the mind. That is the definition of a virtual sport," said Rogers.