Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles globally and have been for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
