Whenever a significant awards ceremony draws close, you'll find a demand to include additional classifications to honor unsung work and fill the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games globally and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers function at the hard edge of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
