Whenever a significant honors show nears, one notices an outcry for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and fill the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types actually cover many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely that year
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers function at the challenging frontier game development, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.
