As any significant honors show nears, one notices a demand for the addition fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
