Whenever a major prize-giving event draws close, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
