Whenever a major honors show approaches, you'll find an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and fill the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category that year
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification in important events. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
