Whenever a prominent prize-giving event draws close, there’s always an outcry for the addition of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the spirits of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.
