As any prominent honors show approaches, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Popular arranging title got ignored that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary game development, producing among most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
