Whenever a significant awards ceremony approaches, you'll find an outcry for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories actually cover many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
