As any significant honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. 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; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. But it is an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
