Whenever a significant honors show nears, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to honor unsung work and fill the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're small games, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
