As any significant honors show draws close, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
