Each time a prominent prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a demand to include fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
