As any prominent awards ceremony approaches, there’s always a demand for introducing of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely that year
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games in the world and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait decades.
