Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand for introducing fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing above others. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games in the world and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
