Whenever a major prize-giving event draws close, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the spirits of followers with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent above others. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Limited numbers of puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
