As any prominent awards ceremony draws close, you'll find an outcry to include of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and fill the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier game development, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
