Whenever a significant awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
