Whenever a major prize-giving event draws close, one notices a clamor to include additional classifications to recognize unsung work and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. 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 supporting my request remains most pressing above others. This is the request: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications successfully include many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything that year
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
