As any significant honors show draws close, there’s always a demand for the addition of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. So would board games, this being someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial above others. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification in important events. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
