As any major awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand for introducing additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games competing to become 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 across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
