Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, you'll find a demand for introducing fresh award types to recognize unsung work and delight the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, but the art of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge of video game design, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.
