Each time a major awards ceremony nears, one notices a clamor to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and delight the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
