New York ? With its scratches and sticky brown beer stains, the “Tetris” arcade machine near the back of a Brooklyn bar called Barcade has seen better days. Which makes sense, given that the machine was made in the 1980s.

Even today, though, it’s not hard to find 20- and 30-somethings plucking away at its ancient controls, flipping shapes made up of four connected squares and fitting them into orderly patterns as they descend, faster and faster as the game goes on.

Completed by a Soviet programmer in 1984, “Tetris” has come a long way from its square roots.

It’s played by millions, not just on computers and gaming consoles but now on Facebook and the iPhone as well.