As any major honors show approaches, there’s always an outcry for introducing additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked in 2021
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
