Each time a significant honors show approaches, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles in the world and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience competes with well-known building titles for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
