As any significant honors show draws close, one notices a clamor for the addition additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles in the world and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
