Whenever a major prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to recognize unsung work and delight the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world and have been for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait generations.
