Vladimir Pokhilko

Vladimir Pokhilko (Russian: Владимир Похилько[1]) (7 April 1954 in Moscow – 21 September 1998 in Palo Alto) was a Soviet and Russian entrepreneur. He was an academic who specialized in human–computer interaction.

Vladimir Pokhilko
Владимир Похилько
Born(1954-04-07)April 7, 1954
DiedSeptember 21, 1998(1998-09-21) (aged 44)

Psychological experiments using Tetris

A friend of Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, he was the first clinical psychologist to conduct experiments using the game.[2] He played an important role in the subsequent development and marketing of the game, and a 1999 article in the Forbes magazine credited him for "co-inventing the seminal videogame Tetris".[3]

Technology company AnimaTek

In 1989, he and Pajitnov founded the 3D software technology company AnimaTek in Moscow.[4] While attempting to create software for INTEC (a company that they started) that would be made for "people's souls", they developed the idea for El-Fish.

Murder-suicide

After suffering financial difficulties at his software company, AnimaTek, Pokhilko murdered his wife Elena Fedotova (38) and their son Peter (12), by bludgeoning and stabbing them both to death. He then committed suicide by slitting his own throat.[5] Shortly before his death, Pokhilko penned a note. The police initially did not release the content of the note, saying that it was not a suicide note, and they didn't know who authored it.[6] They later realized it was a suicide note and published the content of the note in 1999; it read:[7]

"I've been eaten alive. Vladimir. Just remember that I am exist. The davil. [sic]"

References
  1. https://old.computerra.ru/1998/267/194410/
  2. Mark J. P. Wolf (31 August 2012). Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming. ABC-CLIO. p. 642. ISBN 978-0-313-37936-9. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  3. When startups become blowups by Jon Swartz. Forbes, 10 June 1999.
  4. Marc Saltzman, ed. (1 May 2002). Game Programming 5.0 Starter Kit. Pearson Education. p. 431. ISBN 978-1-57595-555-1. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  5. Stein, Loren (27 January 1999). "Police: Detail of Russian entrepreneur's note reveals a tormented man". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  6. Pushed past the brink by Matt Beer and Jacob. San Francisco Chronicle, 24 September 1998.
  7. Report names father as killer P.A. Police show revealing note. San Jose Mercury News (CA) – 22 January 1999 – 1B Local.


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