Whenever a prominent honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games globally and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
