Whenever a prominent awards ceremony draws close, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories actually cover many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games in the world and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier game development, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
