As any significant prize-giving event nears, you'll find an outcry for introducing fresh award types to honor unsung work and delight the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial above others. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. But it is an essential concession within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most popular titles globally and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
