As any major prize-giving event approaches, one notices a demand for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types actually cover many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
