As any prominent honors show nears, you'll find a demand for introducing of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the hearts of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games globally and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
