As any significant honors show approaches, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely that year
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Popular arranging title got ignored that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
