Each time a significant awards ceremony approaches, there’s always a clamor for introducing fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles 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, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
