Whenever a major prize-giving event nears, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier game development, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
