Each time a prominent honors show draws close, one notices a demand for introducing additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of fans with niche passions.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm 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, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Only a few logic titles scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles in the world and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
