As any prominent honors show approaches, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Only a few logic titles scraped into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.
