Whenever a major prize-giving event nears, one notices a demand to include of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
