Each time a prominent awards ceremony draws close, one notices a clamor to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
