As any significant honors show draws close, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. But it is an essential concession in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.