Each time a prominent awards ceremony draws close, there’s always a demand to include fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: We need an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession within the realm of video games, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. You could fill multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
