Each time a significant awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category that year
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Popular arranging title was overlooked in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
