20. The Creator Of Tetris Didn't Earn Royalties From It Until 1996

Kojima ProductionsOf all the mediums we rely on for our entertainment and emotional nourishment, gaming is without question the most diverse and exciting: while we pretty much know what we're getting with a book, song or a movie these days, gaming continues to evolve in unpredictable ways, and we can't wait to see what the future serves up. As the eighth gaming generation slowly begins to gain traction with the Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U finally starting to release killer titles, what better time to comb through the annals of gaming history and discover some mind-melting facts even the most hardcore gamers typically don't know about? We've got peculiar omissions in popular games, the origins of classic video game characters revealed, original designs that were (thankfully) thrown out, awesome cameos, ridiculous easter eggs and practically everything you could think of in-between. If there's one thing the gaming medium does more than any other, it's surprise us, and here we've come up with 20 bizarre, hilarious and astounding facts that summarise every good and bad thing about being a gamer. Got any of your own fascinating tidbits that we didn't catch? Which facts surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below!Alexey PajitnovTetris was created in 1984 by Russian programming prodigy Alexey Pajitnov, yet because he conceived it while working at the Academy of Science of the USSR, the rights belonged to the state of Russia, and as such, Pajitnov didn't see a single cent of residual revenue from the game throughout the 1980s, even as the game dominated the home computer and arcade markets. It wasn't until 12 years later in 1996 that the rights finally reverted to Pajitnov, at which point he was able to found The Tetris Company and began hauling legal a**, filing copyright notices left, right and center, and ensuring himself a massive income for the rest of his natural life. We can't imagine Pajitnov is too bitter about those 12 years: after all, considering how Tetris continues to be one of the most popular video games in history, him, his children and his children's children are no doubt minted forever more.