Whenever a prominent prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a demand for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
