Whenever a significant prize-giving event approaches, one notices an outcry to include fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. But it is an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. What category would fit them among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles globally and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
