As any prominent honors show approaches, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. So would board games, representing someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games in the world and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier game development, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.
