Whenever a significant honors show draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences globally and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
