Each time a significant honors show draws close, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and delight the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
